


magic in the hamptons

by t_hens



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mentions of alcohol, Mentions of homophobia, New York, Rich!Phil, Sexual Content, Strangers to Lovers, The Hamptons, fast burn, mentions of biphobia, they are based in New York but they are both still British
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-06-28 23:01:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15716874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_hens/pseuds/t_hens
Summary: Phil is bored with going to parties every weekend with people he doesn’t like. Bored of going to school for a degree he hates just to please his parents. Bored of pretty much everything in his life, until he meets Dan, an inscrutable college student, who shows him that maybe he can have the things he wants in life - he just has to be brave enough to pursue them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> tags will be updated as chapters update if needed
> 
> beta by the wonderful [fourthingsandawizard](https://fourthingsandawizard.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/tobielovell/playlist/2et8QX7mN3RjDQmWWoe3VY) is a playlist of songs that helped influence this - if you're into that sort of thing

Phil felt like he was living in some sort of recurring dream where he knew he was dreaming, but couldn’t get himself to wake up no matter how hard he tried. He had lived the same night over and over so many times, he was on autopilot as he drifted through the party he was at, drink in hand and trying not to bump into too many people as he attempted to get outside to where it wasn’t quite so stifling. 

He wasn’t even sure why he was here. Well, that wasn’t entirely true; his parents were the reason that he dragged himself to these ridiculous parties every weekend. ‘Socializing is an important part of running a business, Philip. You need to make connections,’ was the rhetoric Phil’s father had burned into his brain. The only problem was that Phil didn’t particularly care about socializing, or making connections with the stuck up and pretentious people at the parties that were thrown in the Hamptons every weekend - business or otherwise. 

Phil finally managed to make his way outside and dropped onto one of the abandoned lounge chairs by the pool. He took a second to close his eyes and enjoy the small breeze that blew by. How a house the size of a shopping mall could manage to be so crowded and hot, he just couldn’t understand. 

With his eyes closed and his body reclined in the comfortable chair, the party wasn’t so bad. He could hear the music filtering through the open bay doors and the area he had chosen wasn’t too crowded, so he didn’t have to listen to too much conversation about designer handbags or the latest scandal of who had cheated on whom. 

He almost felt like he could fall asleep, and was pondering the pros and cons when he heard a voice close by say something. He cracked his eyes open and realized the person was talking to him. He went to ask them to repeat the question, but he got a good look at who was talking and felt the words stick in his throat a bit.

“Uh sorry - can you repeat that? I didn’t hear you?”

The boy smiled at him and dimples carved into his cheeks, and Phil felt a sudden urge to poke them. 

“Is this chair taken?” He pointed to the lounge chair next to Phil and Phil shook his head quickly.

“Help yourself.”

The boy sat down and leaned back, closing his eyes and sighing in a similar manner to how Phil did moments before. This gave Phil an opportunity to survey him a little more. 

He was tall, probably close to as tall as Phil was, and his shoulders were broad and filled out the slouchy jumper he was wearing nicely. His hair was a mass of brown curls that looked like it probably had been managed at one point during that night, but had fallen victim to the heat of summer. Phil could see the glint of a small hoop earring from the fairy lights strung in the trees, and it made him smile for a reason he wasn’t entirely sure of.

The boy opened his eyes and must have felt Phil’s eyes on him because he immediately glanced over. Phil abruptly looked away, feigning interest in the various floaties in the pool, but felt his cheeks heating up knowing he had been caught.

“It’s much nicer out here.”

Phil glanced back over and saw that the boy was smiling at him, and not so subtly checking him out. 

“Yeah, it’s too hot in there. I’m not sure how some place so big can be so crowded.”

Phil was surprised by the loud laugh that left the boy’s mouth. Phil felt himself smiling widely, happy to be the source of such a lovely sound. 

“It’s all the straights and their raging hormones. It permeates the air and raises the temperature. Trust me, I’m a scientist.”

Phil had chosen this particular moment to take a sip of his drink and choked a bit. Once he was able to get air back in his lungs, he let a loud laugh of his own, surprised by such a cheeky answer.

“A scientist, eh? Where did you obtain such creditantals?”

“The internet,” he said, winking.

Phil laughed again, and the boy looked incredibly pleased with himself. 

“I’m Dan, by the way,” he said, extending his hand.

“Phil.”

They grasped hands and Phil marveled at how soft and warm Dan’s hands were. They were slightly larger than Phil’s, too, and before they released Dan gave a small squeeze.

“So, what brings you here?” Phil asked, not able to hide his intrigue for the stranger next to him.

“Ugh, my dorm mates dragged me here. They all grew up in neighborhoods like this, and they thought I could use some ‘socializing,’ so here I am. Instead of being anti-social in my dorm room, I’m being anti-social at a party.”

Phil huffed a small laugh, all too familiar with what Dan was saying.

“Where are you going to school?”

“I’m studying philosophy at NYU.”

“Not science? You lied? I’m wounded,” Phil said, clutching a hand over his heart.

Dan giggled, a small breathy sound that Phil immediately wanted to hear again.

“Unfortunately not. My deepest apologies.” He reached out and placed a hand on Phil’s arm in comfort, and Phil felt his heart speed up a little bit.

“So if you’re going to NYU, how did you get that fancy British accent?”

Dan shrugged and looked a little bored, like he probably got the question a lot.

“I got a scholarship to study abroad. I didn’t want to stay in Wokingham for the rest of my life.”

He shrugged again and turned his eyes back to Phil.

“What about you? You sound a bit too Northern for the Hamptons.”

 

Phil huffed, “I don’t sound that Northern,” to which Dan let out a snort before quickly covering his mouth and giggling. It was so cute, Phil couldn’t be annoyed.

“Both my parents are from Manchester and that’s where I grew up. We moved over here when I was about 17. My dad works for a big stock market company and he got an offer to work for a firm in New York, so we moved.”

Dan looked at him with an unreadable expression and Phil shifted in his seat, feeling himself blush under the scrutiny of his gaze. 

“Do you wanna take a walk?”

Phil was surprised by the question, but nodded hurriedly. He abandoned his drink on the side table next to his chair; the buzz he felt from being near Dan was more potent than any drink he’d ever had. Dan stood up and waited for Phil before walking towards the garden area.

Getting to see Dan upright and walking just seemed to reaffirm the thrum of attraction that was flowing through Phil’s bloodstream. He was about an inch or so taller than Phil, and the ripped black jeans that he was wearing were so tight it was almost indecent. Phil followed after him like a puppy, sure that if they were in a cartoon there would probably be floating hearts above his head. 

The garden was so large and over the top, Phil couldn’t help rolling his eyes at it, but he still appreciated that it was quiet and seemingly deserted. Dan walked along the path and trailed his hands along the various flowers with delicate fingers. They were both quiet, the silence between them not awkward, just surprisingly comfortable.

Dan stopped when he reached a bench and took a seat, patting the spot next to him. Phil sat down and smiled shyly at Dan. Up close, he could see a dusting of freckles across Dan’s cheeks and see his dark eyes shining in the strings of lights. 

Phil’s heart thrummed quickly; Dan was sitting very close to him and was smiling at him in a way that made Phil want to simultaneously cover his face and blush, and push him against a wall and kiss him within an inch of his life. Dan must have been feeling similarly because soon Phil could feel Dan’s fingers dancing along his thigh.

“Is this okay?” Dan asked quietly. 

He looked at Phil through his lashes and Phil nodded, trying to tamper down the urge to gulp loudly. 

“I think you’re really cute,” Dan said as his fingers delicately traced along the inseam of Phil’s jeans.

“I think you’re beautiful.”

Phil was rewarded with a lovely blush coloring Dan’s cheek, and him ducking his head. This seemed to trigger something in Phil, and he brought his fingers to Dan’s chin, moving in close so that they were inches apart. Phil held his position, not wanting to make a move until he had permission. He searched Dan’s eyes and Dan smiled and nodded, so Phil leaned forward so their lips could meet.

Dan’s lips were warm and he tasted a bit like the punch that was served at the party, and Phil already felt drunk off of his lips. Phil went to pull away, but Dan grabbed his shirt and pressed his lips against Phil’s harder, letting out a little sigh when Phil kissed back. 

Soon Phil felt Dan’s tongue against his lips, and he opened his mouth to meet Dan’s with his own. The kiss instantly became more, and Phil could feel himself start to harden when Dan let out a breathy moan.

They kissed for what seemed like hours; Phil’s hands gripping tightly to Dan’s waist and Dan’s hands grasped in Phil’s hair. When Dan gave a small tug, Phil let out his own moan and felt his dick twitch in his pants. 

Dan pulled away from Phil’s mouth but didn’t remove his hands, keeping his body pressed tightly to Phil. 

“This isn’t what I expected to happen when I sat down.” 

Phil chuckled.

“It’s a good surprise, I hope?” Phil asked.

Dan nodded and gave Phil another kiss. “Definitely.”

Phil moved back in for another kiss, but Dan stood up before he had a chance. Phil was confused at first, unsure if he had done something wrong or not, but Dan smiled at him and extended his hand. Phil stood up and took it, letting Dan lead him to the back of the greenhouse where it was completely shielded from the party.

Dan crowded Phil against the wall and pressed kisses to his neck, lightly grinding his hips against Phil so that he could feel how hard Dan was, too. Phil let out a groan, not even bothering to be quiet. Dan giggled and pressed against him harder and began sucking a bruise on to Phil’s collarbone. Phil gripped onto Dan’s hips and thrusted himself forward, desperate for more. Dan leant back and brought his hand to Phil’s belt.

“Is this okay?” he asked, and Phil nodded vigorously.

“Yes, please! God!”

Dan giggled again and worked on undoing Phil’s belt and getting his zipper down. He quickly brought down Phil’s pants and underwear to his thighs, not bothering to mess around, and when Dan finally touched him, Phil thought he might black out. He whined loudly and thrust up into Dan’s fist, chasing the pleasure he was being given. Dan leaned back in and pressed their lips together, Phil greedily kissing him back.

Phil reached for Dan’s zipper and pulled back to ask permission, but before he could ask, Dan was nodding his head.

“Yes. Please, please. Definitely yes.”

Phil grinned and went back in for a kiss while he worked on getting Dan’s pants off. Since they were so tight, it proved a bit difficult, but it was worth the noise that Dan made when Phil got his hand around him. Phil would be shocked if the people at the party couldn’t hear them; Dan was not quiet.

They soon found a rhythm with each other, and all too soon, Phil’s thighs were tensing and he groaned, laying his head on Dan’s shoulder. Dan seemed to understand and doubled his efforts, and soon Phil was coming. He felt like the oxygen had been punched from his lungs and gasped for air. Dan gave him a second to recover, but then began thrusting into his loose fist, desperate for his own release. Phil came back to his senses and tightened his grip, making Dan moan in his ear. He pumped his fist quickly and flicked his wrist, and less than a minute later Dan was coming too, moaning so loudly Phil had to press his hand over his mouth from fear of being heard over the music playing.

Once Dan came down, Phil removed his hand and they both worked on cleaning up. They rinsed their hands in the fountain nearby, and pulled up their pants. 

Phil waited for things to feel awkward like they usually did after a random hookup, but they didn’t. Dan still smiled at him and laughed at his lame jokes like he had before they had kissed. It made Phil’s stomach clench with excitement, hope for the possibility of something blooming. 

They walked back to the pool area and were getting ready to sit back down in their still vacant chairs when a small group of people burst through the bay doors, giving shouts of, “There you are, Daniel!” before making their way over to them. 

Dan blushed and smiled a bit apologetically as he was swarmed by the group. 

“Where have you been? We’ve been looking for you all night!” one of them exclaimed. She was tall and blonde, and if Phil hadn’t been going to these parties for years, he would have been intimidated by her. 

Dan just shrugged vaguely. “I’ve just been meandering around. You know, mingling.”

The blonde girl eyed Phil suspiciously. Dan shoved her lightly when he noticed, a blush on his cheeks. The girl turned her eyes back to Dan.

“Okay, well, we were heading out. Are you ready to go?” She glanced back to Phil when she said this, as if expecting him to object. 

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’m just gonna say goodbye to Phil. I’ll meet you guys out front.”

The group agreed and made their way back inside, Dan turning back to Phil.

“Sorry about the death glares from Harper, she’s just really protective of me.”

Phil smiled, happy that Dan had people to look out for him. 

“It’s no problem, I understand.”

Dan nodded and twiddled with his fingers nervously.

“Well, okay, I’m gonna go. It was nice meeting you.”

He turned to leave and Phil came to his senses, realizing what was happening.

“Wait!” he called after Dan. He stopped and turned around, a smile tugging on his cheeks, making his dimples threaten to appear.

“Can I have your number?” Phil asked, wanting to kick himself for not asking sooner.

Dan smiled so wide crinkles formed in the corners of his eyes, and Phil’s heart gave a heavy thump as if to say “I surrender.”

“Yeah, give me your phone.”

Phil handed over his phone and Dan programmed his number in. When he handed it back, Phil pulled Dan closer and pressed a kiss to his lips. Dan gave a surprised huff, but responded instantly. Phil had to pull away before it turned into a full on make out session (not that it would have been the worst thing), and when he did, they were both wearing matching smiles.

“I’m glad I met you,” Phil said, pressing another light kiss to Dan’s lips.

“I am, too.” 

Phil was sure that he was already addicted to Dan’s smile and was already anxious for the next time he would get to see it.

As Dan said goodbye and turned to leave, Phil pulled his phone out and found the contact listed as “Dan,” thankful that it wasn’t anything cheeky or hard to find. He typed out a message and pressed send.

To Dan: I had an incredible night. I’m texting right away cause I don’t know how to play it cool.

Phil started to slide his phone back into his jeans when he felt it vibrate.

To Phil: good don’t play it cool  
also I might really like you so I don’t know how to play it cool either apparently 

Phil felt like he could jump for joy. His cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much. He made his way back to the lounge chairs and began replying. The party had definitely taken a turn for the better.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings for mentions of anxiety
> 
> Phil's parents are OC's in this work - I wasn't comfortable trying to write his real parents into the story
> 
> [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/tobielovell/playlist/2et8QX7mN3RjDQmWWoe3VY) is the playlist for this story if you're interested :)

Phil tapped impatiently on his desk with his pen, stopping when he caught the eye of his neighbor - only to resume a moment later. He was bored and wanted this class to just be done already. He just couldn’t bring himself to care about block trading and dividends. School had only been back in session a week and he could already feel his mind drifting in a way that it normally wouldn’t until at least after winter break. 

Although he could probably think of a reason _why_ he’s so distracted. Distraction coming in the form of a tall gorgeous boy with dimples who had not left Phil’s mind since the weekend. They had been texting almost non-stop, except while Dan was in class, because while Phil was miserable in all of his boring business classes, Dan thoroughly enjoyed school and had told Phil that he took his schooling very seriously and wouldn’t be distracted.

Phil had felt a little taken aback when Dan had told him this, as if Dan felt that maybe Phil was trying to get him to slack off or something, but Dan explained that he was going to school on a scholarship and it was important that he get good grades or he might have to move home. After that Phil was diligent about not texting Dan during hours that he knew he was in class (because Phil already knew Dan’s schedule, which made him feel a bit like a stalker). He would try and wait for Dan to text him first after he knew he was finished with school, but wasn’t always successful. Luckily Dan seemed to have it just as bad as he did and spent most of his free time texting Phil and telling him about his days. They had yet to see each other since their time at the party, but Phil was hoping that would soon change. Texting was great, but he was dying to see those dimples in person again.

Before he realized it, there was shuffling all around him as everyone moved to start packing up their things. He had been so busy day-dreaming, he had completely missed the teacher dismissing them for the day. He glanced down at this laptop and the nearly bare notes screen and shrugged defeatedly. He would pay more attention next time, maybe.

Phil made his way outside and started heading toward his dorm room. It had been quite a fight with his parents when he told them he wanted to stay in the dorms. They thought it was silly of him to stay in college housing when they had a perfectly good (over the top, really) home. He had been adamant that it was an integral part of the university experience that he did not want to miss out on. He had not told them that he also just needed to get away from them and this was a perfect opportunity.

His phone chimed with a text and his heart jumped, and he couldn’t help but hoping it was a text from Dan. When he saw his father's name on the screen, he felt a stab of disappointment. He opened the message and felt irritation bloom in his chest.

**To Phil:** You need to come down to the office. I told Roger that you were applying for the internship and you can't make me look bad by not picking up an application.

Before Phil could reply, another message came through.

**To Phil:** Afterwards your mother wants you to stop by the station and help her with something. She didn't say what, but it doesn't matter, you still need to help.

Phil bristled at the message. He had no problem going to help his mother; he loved her very much, plus he enjoyed visiting her at the TV station she helped run. He hated whenever his father insinuated that he didn't help out.

**To Dad:** Okay. I will head down after I drop off my bags at my dorm.

**To Phil:** Be quick about it.

Phil rolled his eyes and didn't bother replying.

He _was_ quick about dropping his things off, but it wasn't for his father's sake. He wanted to get to the TV station. Thursdays were editing days and he was always fascinated by the whole process, even to the point where he would try and sneak in and watch shows being edited when his mother first worked there and he got in trouble.

He boarded the subway and pulled out his phone, pulling up a random game to pass the time until he made it to his father's office. About halfway through his journey, he received a text notification, and when he read Dan's name on the notification bubble, he had to work hard to school his features into a neutral expression as possible, rather than the face-splitting grin that he was used to wearing anytime he texted Dan.

**To Phil:** hi im done w/ classes early today what are u doing

**To Dan:** I have to go see my dad at his office because he wants me to apply for an internship there /:

**To Phil:** if you don't want to why don’t you tell him you don't want to?

Phil hesitated. It seemed simple when it was laid out like that, but he didn't think it really was. His father had been telling him he would follow in his footsteps and go into the same profession since before he could remember; the idea of simply just _not_ doing it seemed ludicrous.

**To Dan:** I don't think it’s that simple.

**To Phil:** maybe maybe not. just from what you’ve told me this week you really seem to hate it, I hate to think about you being in a career you hate.

Warmth bloomed in Phil's chest at this and he resisted the urge to send back something ridiculous like "I love you" or "marry me."

**To Phil:** anyway what are you doing after? Would you be down for like some mario kart or something?

Phil cursed his parents, no longer excited to visit the station at all. He would much rather be spending time in person with Dan.

**To Dan:** I actually have to go help my mum with something at the TV station she works at after that so I don't think I'll have time tonight /:

**To Phil:** your mum works at a tv station? That's the coolest thing ever

**To Dan:** I know! I really love watching them edit the shows. They let me help sometimes which is really awesome. I even took some computer and editing classes so I knew more about it so I could help better.

**To Phil:** that’s really cool do you maybe wanna raincheck the mario kart ?

Phil was pleased that it sounded like he was actually a bit hopeful.

**To Dan:** yes please. I was actually gonna text you and see if you were busy tomorrow night?

**To Phil:** no plans wanna do video games and pizza?

**To Dan:** Well I was thinking more of like a proper date? If you want of course.

Phil pressed send before he could chicken out because boy did he want to chicken out.

**To Phil:** I would really love that  
you can't see it but im smiling a lot

Phil was full on grinning now, unable to stop himself.

**To Dan:** I am too  
I'll text you more later and we can plan more? I'm at my stop now

Dan texted back the thumbs up emoji and Phil texted back the warthog emoji. The first time Phil had sent a random emoji without context, Dan had been confused, but was used to it by now, apparent by the alien emoji he texted back. Phil smiled and tucked his phone in his pocket before exiting the subway.

He entered his father's office and tried not to think about how under dressed and out of place he felt. Everyone looked put together and impressive, and here he was in his black skinny jeans and t-shirt. Granted, both items were nice and he knew neither were cheap, but he still felt like something off of the Walmart clearance rack compared to everyone in their designer suits.

He got off the elevator and made a beeline to his father's office, hoping to avoid as much human interaction as possible. His father was on the phone when he walked in, so he took a seat in one of the uncomfortable seats in front of his desk and tried not to be quite so obvious about how uncomfortable he was. He twiddled his thumbs nervously and wished desperately that he was playing Mario Kart with Dan instead.

His father finally hung up the phone and gave him a stern look.

"You knew you were coming in, why didn't you put something nicer on?"

Phil flushed a little shamefully, the feeling of unease returning.

"I wanted to hurry down. I didn't really think about it," he mumbled.

"You need to start thinking more about these types of things, Philip."

Phil bristled. He hated being called Philip, especially when he was being scolded.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

His father didn't reply, just turned his attention to his computer for a few moments before rising from his desk.

"Let's go. Roger is expecting us in his office."

Phil stood up and followed, pulling at his shirt regretfully. He wished he had changed; even though he couldn’t really care less about the job, he didn't want to embarrass his father.

They entered another office and Roger, who Phil had only met a handful of times, all of which were when Roger was absolutely sloshed at company parties, greeted them both enthusiastically.

"Joe! How are you doing? And Phil! You're huge! When did you get so tall?"

He shook Phil's hand so eagerly, Phil thought his brain might have rattled around in his skull a little. 

"I'm happy to hear you want to join our team!"

Phil gave a strained smile, not sure he could lie straight to Roger's face, however his father gave him a pointed look, so he nodded a little woodenly.

"I'm excited, too."

Roger finally released his hand and they all took their seats. Roger's seats were a lot more comfortable than Phil's father's, for which Phil was thankful.

For the meeting being about Phil, there wasn't much for Phil to actually do, which irritated him, since there were other things he could be doing with his time. The only thing that was required of him was his signature on an application, though Roger joked was a bit pointless, since Phil was guaranteed a spot in the internship because of who is father was. Guilt churned in his gut about that. He was sure there were people who actually _wanted_ the internship, and here he was, absolutely dreading it.

As soon as he was able, he bolted for the door, reminding his father that he needed to help his mother so he didn't seem too rude leaving so abruptly. He decided to walk since it wasn't that far, not wanting to bother with trying to flag down a taxi.

He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Dan to pass the time.

**To Dan:** I think that people who work in the stock market are secretly lizard people in suits

**To Phil:** you would  
why do you feel this way

**To Dan:** they are all stiff and boring and weird

**To Phil:** well that doesn't sound like you at all you arent gonna fit in an office like that at all

**To Dan:** Are you flirting with me???

**To Phil:** shut up

**To Dan:** Do you like meeee????

**To Phil:** nope not at all  
phil who

**To Dan:** It's okay Dan, I like you too

**To Phil:** ….  
shut up

Phil sent him more random emojis and put his phone away; his mission to distract himself worked perfectly, as he had arrived at the TV station.

He was much more comfortable here than he could ever imagine being at the firm. Everyone here greeted him warmly and almost everyone was dressed casually, his jeans and t-shirt much more appropriate here. He said hi to a few people he knew and then made his way to the editing room where he figured he would find his mom.

Sure enough, she was in there, and she pulled him into a quick hug when he walked in.

“Hello, love, thank you for coming. I know you’re probably busy, but we’re desperate! Cameron called in sick and we have four new series coming up and six trailers that still need edited and no one to help.”

She sounded frazzled, and Phil gave her a reassuring pat on the arm.

“It’s no trouble, mum. I like helping.”

This wasn’t even a lie, he _did_ like helping. He really enjoyed editing and had really enjoyed the courses he had taken that taught him how. He often spent his spare time making his own little edits out of video bits, just to keep himself sharp.

“You’re a lifesaver, love,” she said, patting his cheek lovingly.

She directed him to Cameron’s station, the one he often used since Cameron was a bit of a flake. She gave him notes about what the trailer should look like in the end and left him to it. 

Hours flew by and before he knew it, he was being shooed out of the building and told to get to bed by his mother, having spent almost six hours there. He left the building and got on the subway, collapsing into an empty seat, not aware of how tired he was until that moment. He pulled out his phone for the first time in hours and was happy to see several texts from Dan.

**To Phil:** im bored  
what are you doing  
I hope the lizard people didn't eat you  
I am owning people at mario kart im totally gonna destroy you when we play together I hope youre prepared  
okay im still bored  
also im not sorry that im texting so much I need a lot of attention I hope youre prepared for that

Phil laughed, despite being in public, unable to help himself.

**To Dan:** You will be happy to hear that the lizard people did not eat me, I am safe  
Also I am completely prepared to give you all the attention  
Except you are a liar - I am the Mario Kart king. You are going to eat your words.

**To Phil:** I can't wait to have this showdown  
so about this date….

**To Dan:** What do you like to eat? There is a really good Italian place that I know of.  
Do you like Italian?

**To Phil:** I love all food  
Italian would be great

**To Dan:** pick you up at 6?

**To Phil:** I cant wait

Phil felt his stomach clench with excitement. How someone who he had only known such a short amount of time affected him so much, he couldn't quite understand, but he just couldn’t bring himself to care.

When he got back to his dorm room, he wiggled out of his jeans and collapsed on his bed, falling asleep quickly, phone still in hand and a smile on his face.

The next day seemed to drag by. The more frequently Phil would look at the clock, the slower it seemed to go. By the time it was time for him to get ready, he was keyed up like he had drank six cups of coffee.

He was nervous. Not nervous in the way that he usually felt, uneasy and apprehensive. This time he was nervous because he was excited. He was so beyond ready to see Dan again. Their time together at the party was burned in the back of his brain; the subject of more than a few late night wank sessions.

Phil called for one of the cars his family kept in service, gave the driver the address that Dan had texted him, and tugged nervously at his clothes, fiddling with his quiff and pushing his glasses up his nose, mentally cursing his eyes for picking today to be too irritated for contacts. Objectively he thought he looked good, but he was vain enough to want Dan to think he looked good, too.

He was so lost in thought that he was surprised when the taxi pulled up to Dan's dorm. He got out and navigated his way into the building, walking up the stairs to the third floor, grumbling under his breath about how Dan was lucky he liked him; exercise was _not_ Phil's forte.

When he finally made it to Dan's door, he took a moment to collect himself. He straightened his shirt and did his best to make sure his quiff was in order, and then knocked on the door.

He was expecting Dan to answer, so he was a bit shocked to find the tall blonde from the party, Harper, he believed, standing at the door and giving him a stern look.

Phil stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before trying to smile and giving an awkward wave.

"Uh, hi. Is Dan here? I thought this was his dorm? Maybe I have the wrong room."

Harper didn't seem like she was going to do anything to let him know if he was in the right or wrong place, and Phil was on the verge of panicking when Dan appeared in the doorway.

"Don't be a jerk, Harper. This is the right room, don't worry."

He gave Phil a bright smile and Phil could feel his anxiety melt away.

"Are you ready?" Dan asked.

Phil nodded, beyond ready to get away from Harper and the death glare she was directing at him.

"Okay, let's go. I'll see you later, Harps."

Dan squeezed out of the doorway and grabbed Phil's arm, leading him down the hallway. When they were out of earshot of Dan's dorm, he started to apologize.

"I'm sorry about her. She's the worst sometimes. She's just looking out for me, she just comes on a little strong sometimes."

Phil smiled; despite the fact that he had absolutely hated being under such scrutiny, it was good to know someone was looking out for Dan.

"It's okay. She seems like she means well. Plus, I survived."

Dan laughed, his arm still linked with Phil's as they made their way downstairs.

"I guess that's true. She just gave you stink eye. It could have been worse."

Phil laughed nervously, not eager to know what "worse" was.

They made their way outside and Phil called for a car to pick them up. While they waited, Phil took the chance to really take a look at Dan for the first time this evening, and he truly was not disappointed; he looked incredible.

He was wearing tight black jeans that were cuffed so that a small amount of ankle was showing between his jeans and his white shoes. The white button up he was wearing was rolled up to his elbows, and he was still wearing that little hoop earring that Phil liked so much. Phil had an inkling that maybe they could just go back upstairs, but then he remembered that Harper was there. Besides - Dan deserved a proper date.

Dan must have felt Phil's eyes on him because he glanced at him with a knowing smirk on his face.

"Like what you see, Phil?"

Phil blushed, but didn't bother trying to deny the fact that he had been staring.

"I do."

Dan's cheeks pinkened, and Phil could feel his breath catch a little. He was so beautiful, it was almost hard to comprehend. Phil took a risk and grabbed Dan's hand to tug him forward gently. Dan came willingly. He seemed to guess Phil's intent because he leaned forward and pressed their lips together. Phil smiled into the kiss and pulled Dan in a little closer.

Just when it seemed like the kiss was heading in a very good direction, Dan pulled back, his cheeks a deep shade of red now.

“If we don’t stop now, we will never get to dinner,” he said with a breathy laugh.

“That wouldn’t be the worst thing,” Phil said, but he squeezed Dan’s hand and smiled.

Their car pulled up then and Phil opened the door to let Dan in first, doing his best to be a gentleman. Dan smiled shyly at him and slid in. When Phil got in, Dan pressed close to him and slipped Phil’s hand into his own.

Phil was relieved that there was no awkwardness between them. Things with Dan felt natural and easy, and Phil was beyond smitten.

They arrived at the restaurant, and when they were both out of the car, Phil linked his hand with Dan's and led the way inside.

Dan seemed a bit taken aback by the restaurant, looking around in wonder, eyes wide. Phil smiled at him as they followed the hostess to their table. Phil had used his father's ties there to get them a good table; a little further back where they could have a bit of privacy.

They sat down and Phil looked at Dan nervously.

"Was this too much?"

Dan was still gaping at the restaurant and it took him a second to respond. When he finally looked at Phil, he looked a little embarrassed.

"I don’t think I can afford this place honestly," he said, fiddling with his napkin.

"Why would you need to afford this? I'm paying."

Dan frowned at him, looking a little annoyed. Phil didn't know whether to be upset or to laugh.

"It's 2018, Phil, equality and all that. You don't have to pay for my meal just because we're on a date."

"I know, but I _want_ to. I wanted to take you on a date, and I want to buy you dinner and make you feel taken care of."

He stopped talking before he really put his foot in his mouth and revealed just how invested he was in this far quicker than he probably should.

Dan looked at him with that look he had given him at the party; it was like he was sizing him up - deciding if he was real or not.

"Okay," Dan said simply.

"Okay?"

"Okay. You can buy me dinner."

Dan was smiling now, a soft, shy one that made Phil warm inside.

"Okay," Phil said stupidly, making Dan giggle.

Phil laughed a little, too, and they both grabbed their menus to cut a bit of the tension between them. They ordered their food and started talking.

Talking with Dan was just as easy as texting with him. Better, even, because this way Phil could hear every time he laughed at one of Phil's dumb jokes, and see the way he rolled his eyes ( _wow brown eyes are so pretty wtf,_ Phil kept thinking) at Phil's stories of the various parties his father had made him go to.

"Why do you even go to those?" Dan asked.

"My father says they are a ‘good networking opportunity.’ Although I don't think he's ever been to a party in his life, especially not one in the Hamptons because there is nothing professional going on at those parties."

"Why is he so set on you doing what he does? You like the editing stuff you do with your mum, right? Why don't you just tell him you would rather do that instead? Or something else? You just really seem to hate your classes, and it seems silly to go into a career for something you have no interest in."

Phil felt like he might as well be stark naked for how much Dan was seeing through him. It shocked him how Dan had picked up on so much in such a short time of talking to him, but it only made that warm feeling in his chest grow.

"I've thought about it, but I don't know if it would be worth the fight? He's been expecting me to do this my whole life, and I don't wanna disappoint him, you know?"

Phil looked down at his plate of food and poked at the spaghetti, his appetite a bit suppressed for the moment. He felt Dan's warm hand on his arm and he looked up. Dan was smiling reassuringly at him.

"Hey, I'm sorry. It's not my place to tell you what to do with your life. I just don't wanna see you miserable."

Phil couldn't help but smile. The feeling of Dan's hand on his arm felt like a buoy pulling him up from nearly drowning in a sea of insecurities that he'd been feeling his whole life.

"Thank you."

Dan retracted his hand, much to Phil's disappointment, and they went back to their food, a silent agreement to keep the conversation light between them as they talked about the newest season of Game of Thrones.

When they were finished and the bill was paid (Dan had pointedly looked away while Phil was paying), they made their way outside and decided to walk back to Dan's dorm rather than wait for a car or hail a taxi. They both grumbled about how terrible exercise was, but Phil thought that if he could always exercise while having Dan pressed close to him, with their hands connected, he would probably be in much better shape.

When they arrived, Phil walked Dan back upstairs and was unsure about how to proceed next. He hardly wanted the night to be over, but he also did not want to have Harper send him daggers with her eyes all night. 

Before he could properly panic over it, Dan pulled him inside.

“Don’t worry, Harper isn’t here. They are having a costume party at one of the bars she loves, and all of our floor went. Thankfully, I had plans, so they couldn’t drag me with them.”

Dan grinned at him like he was getting away with something and pulled him over to what Phil assumed was his bed. It had a dark grey duvet and black sheets, and he had strung up fairy lights around the posts. The desk next to his bed had a black lamp on it, along with a laptop and various Pokémon and Guild of War figurines. It was very _Dan_ in a way that Phil probably couldn’t explain if he tried.

“Thank you for dinner,” Dan said. 

“You’re welcome,” Phil said quietly. 

Dan was looking at him and biting his lip, something that was incredibly distracting when Phil was trying to focus on talking.

“I don’t think I had a chance to tell you how good you look tonight, which was really rude of me.”

Phil blushed, beyond pleased to hear this.

“You think I look nice?” He was not above fishing for a compliment.

“I think you look hot as fuck. It’s been a bit hard to keep my hands off you,” Dan looked at their current position, Dan’s legs in Phil’s lap and their arms linked, and giggled. “Maybe I’m not doing the best job.”

“No complaints here.”

Dan giggled again and freed one of his hands to pull Phil forward so they could kiss.

Their kiss from earlier had been nice, but it had felt like a tease; a sip of water when you’re in the desert. This kiss quenched the thirst for Dan that he hadn’t known that he had until that moment. Phil pressed closer, wanting more, and Dan gladly gave it to him. They adjusted, and soon Phil was laying over top of Dan and they were kissing like their lives depended on it. 

Phil broke the kiss, feeling a bit lightheaded, and moved to Dan’s neck, kissing and sucking lightly. He moved higher and nipped at the hoop in Dan’s ear, and Dan gave a breathy moan, causing Phil’s semi-hard cock to start to swell. Dan seemed to notice the change and grinded himself up, the air in Phil’s lungs leaving abruptly. 

“Oh, god,” Phil said, grinding himself down. He was rewarded with a loud whine from Dan, who pulled Phil’s face to his so they could resume their make out session.

It stayed that way for a long time, which suited Phil fine. They kissed and grinded and Dan made lovely whining moans that made Phil so hard it was nearly painful. Dan had made a mess of Phil’s neck, leaving at least three hickeys, two of which he was sure could not be hidden by a shirt, though he couldn’t really bring himself to care. 

He was in the process of returning the favor, Dan’s moans getting higher in pitch the longer Phil sucked on his neck, when the door banged open, startling them both.

“Oops,” what appeared to be a very drunk girl in a Ninja Turtle costume giggled.

Harper, who was dressed in a cat costume, was holding her up by the waist and looked to be fairly drunk herself.

“Sorry,” Harper said, though she didn’t look _that_ sorry. “Devin barfed at the bar and they kicked us out. I don’t want her to be alone tonight.” 

She pulled the drunk girl, Devin, Phil assumed, into the room and worked on getting her out of her dirty costume.

“That’s fine, but she’s sleeping in your bed. I’m still not over St. Patrick’s Day,” Dan said, working on getting up.

“I said I’m sorry about that! I’ll never drink green beer again!” Devin slurred.

Dan stood up and patted her head, “I know. Get some sleep.”

Devin smiled sleepily at him and Harper gave Dan a soft smile. Phil felt like he was interrupting an intimate moment and shifted awkwardly on the bed. They all suddenly seemed to remember he was there and they turned to look at him.

“Sorry we interrupted,” Harper said.

She said it while looking away from him, so Phil wasn’t sure if she still had eye daggers for him, but took what he could get.

“It’s no problem. I should be going anyway, it’s getting late.”

Dan smiled softly at him and held out his hand so he could walk him out. Phil took it and let Dan walk him outside. Phil called for a car and tried to tell Dan he didn’t have to wait with him, but Dan brushed him off.

“I’m not gonna let you stand out here by yourself, dingus.”

Phil rolled his eyes, but smiled all the same. Apparently even Dan insulting him made him go all heart eyes; he really did have it bad.

“I’m sorry we got interrupted,” he said. 

Phil shrugged. 

“It’s okay. It’s not the first time I’ve had blue balls, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.”

Dan threw his head back and laughed loudly. 

“Well, I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he said, looking up at Phil under his eyelashes and pressing himself close.

Phil groaned. “You’re not helping anything.”

Dan smiled mischievously. “I know.”

He pressed their lips together, and though it wasn’t nearly as heated as it had been upstairs, Phil felt himself get just as worked up. He wanted to be annoyed with Dan for working him up before he had to take an hour-long car ride home, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to.

Just when things were getting good, his car pulled up. Dan, who apparently had the most self control of the two of them, pulled away first.

“Go on, dork. I have a drunk I have to go take care of. And you have something you have to take care of, too,” he said, winking.

Phil scowled, but didn’t bother denying it. He pulled Dan in for one last kiss and they said their goodbyes. He got in the car and gave the address to his dorm. 

The night had been a lot, but there was no doubt that it had been the best night that he had in he didn’t know how long. Maybe his father was onto something about good things coming from those parties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> like/reblog on [tumblr](http://tobieallison.tumblr.com/post/177326467766/magic-in-the-hamptons-chapter-2) if you like :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's taken so long! i've been very sick and just haven't felt much up to writing. I hope this chapter makes up for it.
> 
> beta by the wonderful [fourthingsandawizard](https://fourthingsandawizard.tumblr.com/)

Although he had only been outside about ten minutes, Phil could feel himself starting to burn. They had barely begun their trek from the car to the beach, and he was already debating stopping and putting on suncream. Beside him, Dan lugged his bag and chair and groaned loudly in protest, but when Phil glanced over, he smiled widely at him.

Dan was the sole reason Phil was out here, risking a sunburn and anxiety from spending a day with all of Dan’s friends Phil didn’t know. If it were for anyone else, Phil would have found an excuse to say no and holed up in his room, ignoring his homework and playing Crash Bandicoot until 3am. 

But Dan seemed to have some sort of hold on him already because here he was, beach chair in one arm and lugging a cooler with the other, just because Dan had invited him and he couldn’t turn down time with this boy who fascinated him so much.

When they finally reached their destination on the beach, Phil dropped everything and started rifling through his backpack for his suncream. When he found it, he started slathering it on, his skin already feeling too warm under his palms. He got as much as he could reach and then sheepishly reached towards Dan.

“Do you think you could do my back?” he asked, handing him the tube.

Dan smiled and took it, indicating for Phil to turn around. He did as he was told and squealed when the cool touch reached his back.

“Sorry,” Dan said with a giggle, not sounding sorry at all.

Phil just looked back and pretended to scowl. Dan started to rub in the suncream and Phil had to bite back a sigh. Dan’s hands were big and soft, and felt so wonderful rubbing his back. He felt like if he could stand there for a year and just let Dan do this, he would be more than happy.

Dan was finished sooner than Phil wanted and gave him back the tube.

“Will you do me?”

Phil gulped a little and nodded. Why did that make him nervous? He had literally had his hand on Dan’s dick before, but the thought of putting some suncream on his back suddenly seemed intimidating.

He slowly rubbed the cream into Dan’s slightly darker back. He wasn’t pale like Phil was, practically translucent, but he wasn’t dark like the other beach goers were. He looked a lot like someone who spent most of their time inside, but was occasionally dragged into the great outdoors.

Phil finished and stepped away, putting it back in his bag. Everyone else already had their chairs and towels set up and were lounging or heading to the water to swim. They both set up their chairs, next to each other but slightly away from the group, which made Phil feel happier and maybe a little smug. 

“Do you wanna hang out here, or do you wanna get in the water?” Dan asked.

“The water?” Phil said hesitantly. 

Dan grinned, putting his dimples on display.

“Race ‘ya?” he said, and before Phil could respond, he was charging toward the water.

Phil gaped for half a second and then quickly sped after him. He wasn’t an athlete, and he wasn’t fast, but he caught up with Dan thanks to his long legs. When they approached the water, Phil grabbed onto Dan and pulled him underwater. 

When they both surfaced, Phil was still holding on to Dan and Dan was sputtering, but laughing.

“Phil, you dick!” he tried to yell, but he was laughing so hard it was barely decipherable. 

“I’m sorry,” Phil said, starting to let go. 

Dan stopped his hands from letting go and pulled him closer. He pushed his wet fringe out of his face and put his arms around Phil’s neck, winding his legs around Phil’s waist.

“Is this okay?” Dan asked quietly.

Phil nodded. He felt a bit hypnotized; having Dan so close to him always felt a bit like a drug. Water was clinging to Dan’s long eyelashes, his smile making crinkles appear in the corners of his warm, brown eyes. If Phil wanted to, he could count the smattering of freckles across his cheeks, but he had other plans. 

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Dan’s. It was just a light kiss, something to show Dan how affectionate Phil was feeling, but Dan had other things on his mind, as he tightened his grip around Phil’s neck and pressed his lips harder to Phil’s. Phil couldn’t help the small groan he let out, and this seemed to spur Dan on. He squeezed his legs tighter around Phil and ran this tongue along Phil’s lips, eliciting another groan from Phil.

Soon they were full on making out in the ocean, completely forgetting they were in public for the moment, until a great splash of water hit them.

“Get a room, you two,” someone laughed. 

They broke apart, laughing themselves, and began swimming. Phil, at least, wouldn’t be ready to get out of the water for a little bit.

They swam for a while, splashing each other and making a competition out of who could do the most front flips in a minute (Dan) and who could be wrestle the other off of Dan’s friend’s boogie board the most times (Phil). They swam and played, and Phil couldn’t remember the last time he had such a genuinely good time.

They got out to eat their lunch and sat on their towels. They raided the cooler that they brought, as Harper’s family had all the necessary beach supplies, and devoured the sandwiches her mother had packed.

Dan laid back on his towel and made a low groaning sound.

“What was that?” Phil laughed, joining him on his own towel.

“I’m a beached whale. That’s my whale noise.”

He made the noise again, making Phil laugh harder. Out of the corner of his eye, Phil could see how wide Dan was grinning, and he itched to roll over and kiss him again, but resisted. The whole beach had already seen them make out once, they didn’t need to see it again.

They laid there for a little while longer, not saying much, just enjoying the sun on their skin and each other’s company. Soon Harper walked up to where they were sat and shoved Dan over so she could lay with him on his towel. 

“What are you doing over here all alone, love birds?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Dan made a scoffing noise, but his cheeks still heated up. 

“We’re just getting some sun, Harper, God.”

“Oh, don’t sound so offended, Dan,” she said, elbowing him lightly, “you guys were practically going at it in the ocean two hours ago.”

Dan purses his lips, but was trying not to grin. Phil felt his own cheeks start to burn and pointedly looked towards the ocean, wondering how much effort it would take to drown himself.

“Anyway,” she said, “the rest of us, the ones who are actually socializing,” Phil could imagine the look she was giving them both, “are talking about going to BoJacks for drinks.”

Dan let out a groan.

“You know I hate it there,” Dan whined.

Phil looked back at the two of them, smiling at how petulant Dan sounded. 

“Yeah, well, you don’t have a choice, my dear. You have a horrible fake ID and they don’t card there, so we have scarce options.”

Dan grumbled something under his breath, but Harper simply smacked his stomach and stood up.

“We’re gonna start packing up so we can get ready. I’ll leave you two to it. Wear a condom.”

“Harper!” Dan yelled after her, but she just ran towards the rest of the group.

“I’m sorry about her. She’s a lot.”

“It’s okay. I think I’m getting used to it,” Phil laughed. 

Dan smiled at this, cheeks still pink, and stood up to start gathering their things.

By the time everyone was piled back in the vehicles, Phil was pooped and ready for a nap. It was a tight squeeze for him, Dan, and another guy Phil had been introduced to but couldn’t quit remember the name of, all crammed in the back of Harper’s Jeep. The top was off, the wind was blowing, Phil was warm from the sun and being pressed so near Dan, and he couldn’t help letting his head drop to Dan’s shoulder. 

Before he knew it, Dan was gently shaking him to wake him. Phil jerked up and looked around. They were parked in front of Harper’s parents house and everyone was getting out. 

“What’s going on? I thought we were going back to the dorms?”

“We’re just gonna get ready here since it’s closer. Is that okay?” 

Phil started to nod then stopped.

“Crap! I forgot my bag at your dorm. I don’t have any clothes to change into.”

Dan giggled and started to tug him out of the vehicle.

“I have extra clothes here. You’ll be fine.”

Phil agreed and walked inside with Dan. Everyone was gathered in the kitchen, snacking on the array of foods that Harper’s mother had made for them. Both of them hurried forward and started stuffing their faces, neither realizing how ravenous they were. 

Once they were done, everyone split off to start getting ready. Dan led Phil to a bedroom upstairs that reminded Phil a lot of Dan’s dorm room. It was more personal than a random guest room and had little hints of “Dan” scattered all around, like the black bedspread and the scattering of plushies and figurines. There was even a Guild of Wars poster tacked up behind the door.

“Is this your room?” Phil asked, sitting down on the bed while Dan pulled clothes out of the dresser.

“Uh, yeah. I stay with Harper’s family during the holidays. It’s too expensive to fly home,” Dan said quietly.

Dan’s shoulders were tense and he didn’t look at Phil as he sat clothes next to him on the bed.

“C’mon, I’ll show you where the shower is.”

Phil got up and followed Dan farther into the room where Dan had his own bathroom. Dan started the shower and started to leave, still not looking at Phil, when Phil stopped him.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m sorry if I said something wrong.”

Dan shook his head, but stared determinedly at his toes, as if they had some sort of answers to problems he needed solved.

“You didn’t do anything. I just kind of forget sometimes that, like, you’re used to this,” Dan said, using his hand to indicate to the fancy bathroom, but Phil understood Dan probably meant “being rich.”

“I mean, I guess. But why does that matter?”

Dan looked at him for the first time in a what felt like too long with that piercing gaze of his.

“It matters because I don’t have this. My family isn’t rich. I’m poor. I’m only here because I worked my ass off for a scholarship.”

Dan looked down again, his voice hitching a little.

“I just - I don’t want you to decide that, I don’t know. I’m not enough?”

Phil could practically feel his heart break hearing these words. He carefully took Dan’s hands in his and pulled him forward. Dan went willingly and Phil pressed him to his chest. 

“Dan I wouldn’t _ever_ think that. I don’t care about how much money you have, or anything like that. None of that crap matters to me. I can’t help how much money my family has, but I can promise, I have never cared about that. I like you so much, and do you really think something like that would stop me from caring about you? I’m so pathetically crazy about you already.”

Dan leaned back, his eyes a bit wet, but a giant smile on his face.

“Really? You like me?”

“Oh my god, Dan,” Phil said laughing and cupping Dan’s cheek. “Am I not just horribly obvious about it?”

Dan smiled wider and shrugged a little. “I mean, you might be, but I just like hearing you say it.”

“I really, really like you. Like, _so_ much.”

Dan grinned again and leaned forward to kiss Phil. It was a sweet kiss and made Phil feel warmer than he had from spending the whole day in the sun. Phil pressed back and moved his hands from Dan’s cheek to around his waist. Dan moved his arms around Phil’s neck and brought him closer. 

Before Phil knew it, they were properly making out again, and Phil felt himself get hard again. He pulled back and took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself down.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just need to calm down for a minute.”

 

“Why would you want to calm down?” Dan asked, pushing himself a little bit closer.

Phil chucked a little, wrapping his arms a little tighter around Dan and pressing a kiss to his forehead. 

“Because we just had a semi-serious conversation. I don’t want you to feel like I’m taking advantage of you while you are vulnerable.”

Dan shook his head and pressed a quick kiss to Phil’s lips, pulling him towards the shower.

“You are a true gentleman. And I appreciate that so much, but right now I would really like to finish what we started in the ocean.”

Dan proceeded to pull his shirt off and step out of his swim trunks in quick succession, stepping into the shower.

“Are you coming?” Dan asked with a smirk as he moved into the streaming water.

Phil’s brain felt a bit short-circuited from seeing Dan naked, so he stood there for a second before coming to his senses, stripping quickly and stepping into the water.

Dan stood under the water and Phil couldn’t help the clench in his gut when he thought about how lucky he was. Dan was beautiful and smart and funny, and for some reason liked him, too. He felt like he was living in some sort of alternate reality where good things happened to him.

Dan stepped out of the stream and approached Phil. He pressed Phil against the cold tile wall, making him hiss, but soon Dan’s mouth was on his and he forgot all about how cold he was. Dan kissed him like he hadn’t seen him in months, greedy and hot, and Phil met his enthusiasm the best he could. Phil could feel Dan’s erection pressing against his thigh, and it made him even more turned on than he already was. Just as he started to reach for him, Dan pulled back and dropped to his knees in front of Phil.

“Oh, God,” Phil groaned. Just seeing Dan down there was enough to make him fully hard and he let out a high pitched whine as Dan grabbed ahold of him. Dan looked incredibly smug at the noise and pumped him slowly, leaning forward to take Phil in his mouth. 

Phil touched his shoulder, making him pause.

“Wait, Dan. You don’t have to do that.”

Dan giggled a little and gave another pump that made Phil’s eyes roll a little.

“I know that I don’t _have_ to. I want to. I want to make you feel good.”

 _Who could resist that?_ Phil thought as Dan looked up at him from under his long eyelashes.

“Okay,” he said in a shaky voice.

Dan took this as an open invitation to move forward and take Phil into his mouth. Phil felt all of the air leave his lungs in one fell swoop as the wet warmth of Dan’s mouth incased his dick. He grasped desperately at the wet shower wall to try and brace himself somehow; his knees felt like they might buckle. Dan took no notice of this, just simply worked him faster and took him deeper. Phil tried to contain his noises the best he could, but he knew he was still letting out little ‘ah ah ahs’ and whines. 

Far too soon, he felt that familiar warmth in his belly and his thighs started to shake, making it even harder to stand than it already was. Dan seemed to understand and doubled his efforts, and before Phil could warn Dan with more than a frantic tap on the shoulder and a particularly loud grunt, he was coming. Dan stayed where he was, sucking Phil through it, but once he knew Phil was finished, he stood up and spit into the spray, rinsing his mouth out. 

“Sorry, I really hate swallowing,” Dan said as he faced Phil again.

Phil looked at him through half lidded eyes and snorted.

“Are you really apologizing? You just gave me the best blowjob of my life.”

Dan blushed, but smirked a little. 

“Of your life, huh?”

Phil pulled him forward and kissed him deeply, taking Dan’s erection into his hand. Dan pulled away and pressed his head to Phil’s shoulder, high pitched whines coming from his mouth.

“Yes, Dan. My life,” Phil said. 

Phil twisted his wrist in the way he remembered that Dan liked and was rewarded with another loud whine. Phil smiled and pressed kisses along Dan’s shoulder and neck, taking the opportunity to suck a dark mark on his neck to match the set Dan had given him.

It only took a few more minutes and Dan was tensing up and biting into Phil’s shoulder, coming into Phil’s palm. Once he was finished, Dan slumped against Phil and let out a breathy giggle.

“Wow.”

“So good you’re monosyllabic? Impressive,” Phil laughed, wrapping Dan in a hug. 

“Shut up,” Dan laughed.

They finished their shower and when they were clean, they got out and moved back into Dan’s room to get dressed. Phil grabbed the bundle of clothing that Dan had set down for him and looked at the clothes. There were a pair of ripped black jeans and a black button up shirt.

“Wow. You really have a theme, don’t you?” Phil laughed, pulling the jeans on.

“I do. It’s my aesthetic.”

Phil snorted a little, since the words seemed to contradict the white jeans he was pulling on. Phil didn’t give him any snark though - he looked incredible. His white jeans were ripped, too, and he was wearing a thin fuzzy black jumper, with black shoes to match. His eyes couldn’t help roving over Dan, feeling eager to get him out of his clothes even though they just got pulled on him _and_ they both just had orgasms less than 30 minutes before.

Dan seemed to feel the same, though, because once Phil was completely dressed Dan was not subtle about staring, even going so far as to bite his lip and smirk at Phil. 

Phil pulled him closer by his belt loops and kissed him quickly. 

“If you keep looking at me like that, we are never going to leave this room.”

Dan leaned forward and kissed him, nipping at his lower lip.

“Is that really the worst thing?”

Phil smirked and moved away, making Dan pout.

“One hundred percent not, but I would like your friends to like me, so I think it’s better for us to socialize with them and not spend the whole night locked in your friend’s house having sex.”

Dan blushed a little, but laughed and pulled Phil with him out towards the kitchen where everyone was already gathered, the room erupting in wolf whistles when they entered. Everyone laughed, and soon they were off.

**

The bar was loud and packed tight with college kids, some who barely looked old enough to have left primary school. Phil sipped his beer and sat in his stool along the wall, watching as Dan and his friends danced along to the 90’s hip hop thumping through the shoddy speakers. 

Dan’s cheeks were flushed, a side effect of numerous tequila sunrises, and his curly hair was a little more wild than usual; standing up in random tuffs and matted down in spots from the heat and humidity of the room. He looked incredible, and Phil couldn’t help but beam with pride each time Dan caught his eye and would shimmy at him or send him what should have been a seductive wink, but was really more of an exaggerated blink.

Phil was content sitting and watching, even though there had been a few instances when he had been nearly dragged on to the dance floor, but he insisted he should sit; no one needed to see him attempt to dance, especially if he was still sober, which he needed to remain since he had an 8am class, unlike Dan who got to lie in until noon.

After a while, Harper joined him on the wall, hopping up on the stool next to him. Phil tensed a little. His interactions with Harper weren’t always ultra positive, and though they were getting better, it was still pretty apparent she wasn’t really a fan.

“So, what exactly are your intentions with Dan?” Harper asked, looking Phil straight in the eyes, gaze unwavering.

Phil gulped, but squared his shoulders a little. 

“We haven’t really talked about things - it’s still pretty early. But I care about him a lot.”

“People have said that they cared about him before and then hurt him.”

Phil searched in her face for some sort of indication of what happened, or if she would elaborate. She looked down at her fingers and began picking at her nails, a nervous habit Phil was familiar with.

“I don’t have any intention of hurting Dan,” Phil said as earnestly as he could.

Harper looked at him again, with a little less scrutiny this time.

“There was a guy last semester. He was like you, kind of. He was rich, Ivy League, he seemed nice, and Dan fell really hard, really fast. ‘Cause that’s what Dan does. When Dan does something, he’s all in. And he went all in with this guy, and for a while, it was great. They traveled and went to parties and he bought him a bunch of stuff that Dan didn’t really need, but when it really came down to it, the guy wasn’t in it. Dan was just something to fill his time. He broke it off and it nearly killed Dan. He thought about dropping out and going home - that’s how you know how bad it was - school is everything to Dan.”

Phil nodded. This was something he had come to understand very well about Dan in the short time they knew each other.

“It took awhile, but he got over it. And he said he didn’t really want to date, just focus on school. And then he met you, and I can just see the same thing happening so easily. It terrifies me. I love Dan, he’s my best friend. I don’t want him hurt, even if that means I have to be the bad guy.”

Phil nodded, looking out to the dance floor where he could see Dan still dancing, happy and beautiful and easily the best thing in Phil’s life. He didn’t say anything right away, just took some time to digest everything Harper said.

After a moment, he turned to face her.

“I understand where you’re coming from. I don’t want to see him hurt. He’s so wonderful, and I would do anything to keep him from feeling what you described. But I have to tell you that I wouldn’t do that. I care about him so much, and he is far from just filling time for me. I’m crazy about him, and you say he falls fast and hard, but I am, too. He’s not alone in this. I want whatever this thing is between us, and I’m willing to do whatever I have to to make it work.”

Harper didn’t say anything, she just smiled wide and leaned forward to grasp his hand.

“Maybe you’re not so bad, Phil.”

Phil laughed, feeling like this was probably high praise from Harper, and gave her a smile and a light squeeze to her hand.

They were then interrupted by Dan, who wormed his way in between Phil’s legs and hugged him tightly.

“Mmm, I missed you.”

Phil laughed, kissing his forehead.

“It’s only been, like, 30 minutes.”

Dan pouted and Phil laughed again.

“Are you gonna come dance with me?”

Phil looked at Harper, who was looking at them, this time with a fond expression.

“Okay, fine. You wore me down. This is gonna be bad.”

Dan whooped loudly and pulled Phil with him to the dance floor, wrapping his arms around his neck and pressing a long kiss to his lips.

“Thank you,” Dan said, dimples on full display.

“Don’t thank me yet. You haven’t seen me dance yet.”

Dan threw his head back and laughed. It was starting to become Phil’s favorite sound. 

Dan pulled him closer and they swayed on the spot to a fast-paced song, but Phil was fine with that. Being close to Dan was all he wanted now, and for the foreseeable future.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry it’s taken so long for an update! 
> 
> doing the Bingo Fest took a lot of my time, plus I’ve had a lot going on so I’m sorry this story has been a bit neglected /:
> 
> [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/tobielovell/playlist/2et8QX7mN3RjDQmWWoe3VY?si=0R0QYFr6QDOPhP2AXxZWiA) is the playlist for the fic if you’re interested 
> 
> beta by [fourthingsandawizard](http://fourthingsandawizard.tumblr.com) as always :)

Phil felt like an imposter. Not for the first time in his life, he truly felt like he didn’t belong. He was surrounded by a group of eager young college kids in their best business attire, while Phil tugged awkwardly at his plaid button down and wiped his sweaty hands on his black jeans.

When his father had seen him walk in wearing the same clothes he had worn to class that day, he knew he was going to get an earful, so he had side-stepped him to grab a pamphlet from the lady helping out and did his best to engage her in conversation, as painful and awkward as it was for him. 

The worst part about the lecture he was sure to receive as soon as he was alone was that he didn’t even have a good excuse. He knew the internship started that day, and he even had plenty of time to change into something less scruffy before leaving his dorm; he just didn’t. And he couldn’t bring himself to lie to his father; honest to a fault, is what his mother liked to say, which didn’t really help him now. He would love to be able to lie and say he got stuck in class and simply _couldn’t_ find the time to change, but he knew he wouldn’t, and he would have to face the music of his laziness, or insolence, as his father surely saw it as.

After a few more seconds of awkward conversation, Phil was relieved by Roger coming into the room and loudly getting everyone’s attention:

“Good afternoon, everyone!”

Phil winced at the volume of his voice, feeling a headache building in his temples.

“Welcome to the orientation for your fall internship for Smith & Marshall Investments!”

Everyone gave an enthusiastic clap, Phil putting his own hands together lightly a few seconds behind.

“Denise here will be showing you around the building and giving you the details about what you will be doing for the next couple of months. If you have any questions, feel free to stop by my office!”

Phil wanted to laugh at that, but he didn’t. He imagined one of the interns stepping into his father’s office with a question and had to physically bite back a laugh. At least Roger would probably be nice before telling them to get lost. He just didn’t understand the point of polite platitudes. There was no way someone as important as Roger would actually have time to answer an intern’s question, so why say he would?

By the time they moved on to the tour, Phil was in a sour mood. He wanted nothing more than to be back in his dorm, maybe in bed, maybe playing video games, just anything other than this, really. He’d been in this building a hundred times, probably knew it just as well as Denise did, but he shuffled along and at least tried to be a good sport. Everyone else asked questions and were engaged with the tour, but he was just ready to be sat at a desk so that he could pull his phone out and text Dan about how miserable he was.

They finished the tour and were shown to their cubicles. Everyone was given a packet of information and instructions on how to set up their personal PCs and then left alone. Phil begrudgingly followed the instructions and once he was finished, he glanced around to make sure no one was looking and fished his phone out of his pocket.

**To Dan:** I hate my life  
This is so boring and stupid.

He put his phone away and poked around on the PC to see what programs were on there, disappointed when there were only the very basics, nothing fun or interesting to pass the time with until he got an actual assignment.

His phone buzzing in his pocket scared him, almost making him yelp. When he pulled it out, he was surprised to see it was a text from Dan.

**To Phil:** im sorry you're having a crappy time  
do you know how much longer you have to be there today?  
i got out of class early today, wanted to see if you wanted to meet up for pizza or something

Phil smiled, a bright spot in his day to look forward to.

**To Dan:** I'm not sure how much is left but I would definitely like to meet for pizza.  
Would it be lame of me to say that I really miss you?

**To Phil:** no you spork  
i think we are past the point of it being lame that we miss each other  
cause i miss you too  
and im not lame  
im awesome

Phil rolled his eyes, although the smile remained on his face. He started to reply, but heard footsteps approaching and shoved his phone away. Though he was not invested in the internship, he had no interest in getting in trouble, especially not on the first day.

Denise approached his desk and smiled kindly.

“Hi, Phil. You’ve been emailed some instructions for your first assignment and some training info. You’ll want to do your training courses first, of course,” she chuckled. “Oh! And your dad wanted you to drop by his office when you had a chance.”

She patted his shoulder gently before she walked away, leaving Phil with a bit of unease heavy in the pit of his stomach. He would rather ride a horse to the very bottom of the ocean while being chased by a home intruder than go into his father’s office because absolutely nothing good could come out of it.

He sighed heavily and stood up, figuring it was better to just get it over with than delay the inevitable fight coming his way. He navigated through the maze of cubicles and desks, choosing to take the stairs rather than the elevators to give himself a little bit of time to prepare himself for the onslaught of criticisms coming his way.

When he arrived at his father’s office, he knocked, knowing better than to just enter. He heard his father yell to come in and opened the door, taking a seat in one of the stiff chairs in front of his desk.

His father looked away from his computer once Phil was seated and gave him a stern look. He didn’t say anything for a moment, but the loaded silence said more than angry words would, making guilt and shame fill Phil’s whole body. He looked down at his hands, picking at the skin of his fingernails in an attempt to distract himself. 

“I don’t know why I continuously expect you to be able to handle things like an adult when you fail to do so every single time,” his father said, rubbing his temples like he had a migraine. 

Phil could feel a flush working its way up his neck and up to his cheeks, his ears feeling like they were on fire.

“You know how important this is for your future and for the future of your career, and yet you are still dicking around. You couldn’t even put on proper clothes. How hard is that, Phil? Putting on some damn dress pants and a tie? Surely even you could handle that?” 

He wasn’t yelling, and logically Phil had known this was coming - knew it in the deliberate way he didn’t change his clothes when he had time to that afternoon - but the sharp disapproval coming from his father still felt like a slap in the face. He kept his eyes down, not wanting to look at his father and show him the tears forming in his eyes. He didn’t want to cry, certainly not in front of his father. 

“I need you to start making an actual effort. You being here is a direct reflection of me, and if you are slacking off and looking like a slob, it makes me look bad.”

Phil nodded; he knew his voice would likely crack if he tried to reply. He kept his attention on his fingers, twisting them and cracking the knuckles until his father sighed deeply and dismissed him.

Instead of returning to his desk right away, Phil took a detour to a secluded stairway that was mostly used by the janitorial staff. He sat down on the cold steps and placed his head in his hands, taking a deep breath and trying not to sob.

It was stupid, really, he shouldn’t be crying about something so stupid. He knew his dad was right. He _did_ need to put more effort in. He also knew he would be reprimanded when he had gotten dressed that morning, so he should know better than to be upset. 

He felt a buzz in his pocket and pulled his phone out, seeing a text from Dan.

**To Phil:** okay so i know you are busy but im so bored  
also im hungry and i want you and pizza

Phil felt warmth rush through him, a welcome feeling after the awful onslaught of emotions he had been feeling. He started to type out a reply before erasing it and pressing the call button.

It rang twice before Dan answered, his voice colored a bit with surprise.

“Hey, what’s up?”

Phil paused for a second before answering, opening and closing his mouth, but no noise coming out.

The silence dragged on for a moment longer before Phil finally felt the tightness in his chest burst like a bubble and a sob escaped from his mouth without warning.

"Oh my god, Phil. Are you okay?"

Phil nodded, then remembered Dan couldn't see him and answered in a shaky voice. "Yeah. It's just been a bad day."

"I'm sorry."

He felt bad for calling and crying at Dan, probably making him uncomfortable and awkward. The list of things he was doing wrong felt like it was mounting larger and larger and was going to consume him.

Dan must have guessed he was too in his head because his voice was soothing and calm; it felt almost as nice as actually being near Dan would.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. How much longer do you have? Can you leave now? Wanna come over?"

Phil shrugged, starting to calm down. "I don't think I have much left. I’ll check and text you. But yes, I definitely wanna come over."

"Okay. Let me know. I'll see you when you get here, ‘k?"

“‘K."

Phil hung up and rubbed his eyes to try and get rid of the tears left over from his outburst. He made his way back to his desk and logged on to his computer to double check the quitting time, thankful there were only 30 minutes left, and got to work trying to complete as much training as he could in the half an hour he had remaining in the day.

He gathered his stuff when the clock hit 5:00, texting Dan that he was on the way, and boarded the subway, not wanting to deal with his family or their cars today.

The ride felt like it took forever and by the time he arrived at Dan's dorm, he had a throbbing headache. Dan opened the door to let him in, and before he even had a chance to set his bag down, Dan was pulling him into a hug. It was a good hug, too, tight, and it made Phil feel like maybe he wasn't quite falling apart for a moment.

"I'm sorry you had such a shit day."

Phil shook his head against Dan's collarbone, not wanting to extract himself from Dan yet.

"Not your fault," he mumbled.

"I know, but I'm still sorry. Wanna order some pizza and watch a movie or something?"

Phil nodded and they broke apart, but Phil kept ahold of Dan's hand, feeling a bit clingy. Dan smiled and pressed a kiss against Phil's temple.

Dan ordered food and they curled up in Dan's bed, a random movie playing on the tv in the background.

"Where's Harper at?" Phil asked.

He was practically in Dan's lap, and he felt like he did when he was young and would have a nightmare and run to his mum, but not in a bad way. It felt like he was being taken care of by someone who cared about him; a nice change of pace from how he had been feeling that day.

"I knew you were coming over and would probably want to be alone, so I had her go over to a friend's place."

Phil frowned. "Well, now I feel bad. She shouldn't be kicked out of her own dorm just ‘cause I'm a cry baby." He started to sit up and move away, but Dan tugged him back toward his chest, holding him tight against him.

"Don't be daft, Phil. It's my dorm, too, and if I want to spend time alone with my boyfriend when he's had a bad day, I am allowed to ask my roommate to leave."

Phil froze at the word 'boyfriend.' Dan felt the way he tensed up and began rambling, tripping over his words.

"I mean - I don't know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I know we haven't talked about that -"

Phil sat up and placed a finger over Dan's mouth, effectively shushing him for a moment.

"Dan, would you be my boyfriend, please?"

Dan's face broke out into the kind of smile that would probably knock Phil off his feet if he was standing.

"Of course, you dork."

Dan surged forward and kissed Phil. It wasn't a kiss that led anywhere, though Phil couldn't say he was too disappointed. Although he would normally love to see where a little bit of making out could take them, the day had left him with little interest in doing anything more than cuddling.

"Thank you for letting me come over," Phil said against Dan's shoulder once they broke apart.

Dan's arm moved under Phil's head as he shrugged.

"It's nothing to thank me for, you know. I just wish there was more I could do. Or something else you could do that would make it so you weren't so miserable."

Phil stared at the TV for a moment before answering.

"I don't think there is anything I really _can_ do. Like, this is what my family expects me to do, and I'm already in school for it, and I don't really know what else to do?" He can't help the way his sentence hangs in the air like a question, as if Dan can answer it for him. 

"I don't know, Phil," Dan says, much like Phil expects him to. "I want you to be happy and I know you're not right now, but I don't really know how to help you fix that."

Phil sighs and looks back at Dan. He's searching Phil's face like he's looking for something, but he just can't find it, and Phil feels a surge of frustration at himself. He is happy, at least when he's with Dan, and for right now at least, that's enough.

"You make me happy. And so does pizza," Phil says, making a weak attempt at a smile.

It seems to work, though, because Dan kisses him and holds him close for a second.

"Okay. Let's just focus on that tonight and we can figure out more big picture stuff out later, yeah?"

Phil nodded and sank back into Dan, enjoying a nice night in with his boyfriend.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuses. I'm sorry it's taken almost four months.

Friday was Phil’s favorite day by far. Admittedly it always had been, but the past few weeks had really solidified the fact. The past week had been dreadful; he had been late three times to class and gotten shouted at, his favorite t-shirt had been stained beyond repair by some pesky soy sauce when he had just been trying to treat himself to some sushi, and Denise had scolded him for not reading instructions thoroughly enough and misfiling some electronic documents.

He was just over this whole week, more than ready to be out of this stupid building with these people that he didn’t even get along with that well. He just wanted to see Dan.

Dan. 

Yes, that was exactly what he wanted. It had been far too long since he had seen his boyfriend. _Boyfriend_ , Phil thought happily, still not used to using that word, but giddy all the same. An subconscious smile came to his face just thinking of how great it would be to finally see Dan and to hold him in his arms; four days since seeing him really was too long.

Footsteps approached his cubicle, and he did his best to look busy and to wipe the dopey smile off of his face.

“Hey, Phil!” It was Brian, Phil’s cubicle mate who was entirely too chatty for Phil’s taste.

“We’re all going to Hogan’s for a drink after work. Do you wanna join?”

Phil hesitated. He thought to his plans for the weekend: he and Dan snuggled up and watching movies or playing video games. Maybe _other_ activities, too. 

“Uh. I’m not sure. I have to check with my boyfriend, I’d want to bring him, too.”

He had to give Brian credit, he didn’t even so much as flinch upon learning Phil had a boyfriend.

“Oh, awesome! We’d love to have you guys join!”

Phil nodded. “Yeah, I’ll let you know.”

Brian grinned widely. “Alright. I think we are leaving right at five, so you can just meet us there if you decide to join.”

He agreed, and once Brian was out of sight, he slumped back into his chair. The idea of going out with the same people he had to spend entirely too much time with for the past three weeks made him want to beat his head against the door, but he knew he would feel guilty if he didn’t even ask Dan if he wanted to go.

Glancing around quickly, Phil made sure the coast was clear before pulling his phone out of his pocket to text Dan. He typed a message out quickly under his desk, not eager to get scolded for using his phone like the girl (Melody? He thought her name was) who sat perpendicular to him had been.

**To Dan:** How would you feel about going to have a drink with some of the people I work with?

He didn’t expect a quick response, knowing Dan’s last class wasn’t out for another 20 minutes, so the buzz in his hand before he had even put his phone back startled him.

**To Phil:** are you gonna be there too

Phil snorted and quickly looked around, hoping no one had heard.

**To Dan:** Of course dingus. Do you really think I plan on spending my Friday night without you?

**To Phil:** lol i was just checking  
 **To Phil:** but yes we can do that if you want i figured you had a shit week and wouldn’t wanna go out with those corporate dorks

Phil had to resist laughing harder this time, just barely muffling his giggle.

**To Dan:** Do you think i’m a corporate dork too?

**To Phil:** no youre just a regular dork

A light blush stained his cheeks and he didn’t bother hiding his smile this time.

**To Dan:** So was that a yes then?

**To Phil:** yes lol we can go as long as thats what you wanna do

Phil hesitated, wondering if he should be as cheeky as he wanted. ‘Fuck it’ he thought and pressed send.

**To Dan:** I’d much rather do you….

He held his breath for a second, unsure if he maybe crossed a line, not wanting to make Dan uncomfortable.

**To Phil:** ……  
 **To Phil:** youre gonna kill me  
 **To Phil:** lets just stay for like one drink  
 **To Phil:** i don’t think i have more patience than that lol

Phil sent back a series of emojis, brain a little too fried to make more conversation. He put his phone away, done with testing his luck for a while, and tried his best to focus on the work in front of him. It wasn’t easy. The thought of getting to see Dan soon, getting to touch and kiss him, made it hard to concentrate.

The next two hours dragged by, but by the time the clock struck five, Phil was actually eager to get a drink. 

“Phil! Did you decide to join us?” Brian asked eagerly.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry, I forgot to tell you. My boyfriend is gonna meet us there, if that’s okay?”

He nodded eagerly and joined Phil and the rest of the interns as they walked to the lift.

“That’s awesome! We’re excited to meet him.”

The way everyone was nodding along let Phil know that Brian had wasted no time telling everyone that he had a boyfriend, but at least there seemed to be no negative attitudes, at least so far.

Brian and Melody, who apparently had gone to high school together and were both enrolled in NYU, kept up a constant stream of conversation the whole way to the bar. Eight blocks of them talking about how passionate they were about math and finances, and Phil wanted to pull his hair out. He just didn’t understand their passion about something he found so dull.

Hogan’s was crowded when they arrived. It was mostly business people having quiet cocktails and highballs in their expensive pressed suits. Phil had expected them to be going to a college-type bar, but somehow this stuffy, surely pricey, bar fit Phil’s expectation of what people who did finance and marketing would like. It reminded him of a bar his father would like, making him want to instantly leave.

He spotted Dan sitting at a table by himself, looking around wearily. Phil practically sprinted to him, not caring that he was being rude. A smile broke out on Dan’s face when he spotted Phil, standing to wrap his arms around Phil’s neck when he got close enough, and Phil pressed his face into the crease of Dan’s neck, smelling the spicy cologne he wore and the fancy perfume-y detergent that he knew Harper insisted they use.

“Hi,” Dan said quietly into his ear. “Missed you.”

Phil didn’t bother replying, just hummed into Dan’s neck and squeezed him a little tighter, making Dan giggle.

“Hi! You must be Phil’s boyfriend.” 

Brian was standing next to them, holding out his hand to Dan, whose arms were still clasped around Phil’s neck. Dan detached himself from Phil, even though that was the last thing he wanted. He clasped Brian’s hand and gave him one of his best Dan smiles, making his dimples pop.

“Hello. Yes, I’m Dan, Phil’s boyfriend.”

The way he emphasized ‘boyfriend’ was not lost on Phil, and he gave a gentle pump to the hand of Dan’s that he was holding, shooting him what he was sure looked like a love-sick grin.

“Oh! Another Brit.” Phil could see the way Dan winced a little, both forever tired of hearing their accents as a topic of conversation. “I’m Brian, and this is Melody, and…” He continued to introduce the whole group, who had taken up residency at the table Dan had been sitting at and the ones nearest it.

Dan was probably incredibly overwhelmed, but gave another bright smile and shook hands with everyone, making Phil’s chest ache with fondness. Dan was just _so good,_ Phil didn’t think he would ever get used to it.

Everyone took their seats and ordered drinks. Phil sat close to Dan and slung his arm around his shoulder, eager to have have him close. The conversation turned to the internship, and everyone talked excitedly about how much they loved it and how important is was for their futures. 

“What about you, Phil? How are you liking it?”

Phil shifted uncomfortably in his seat, really not wanting to talk about how much he hated the firm and that the work made him want to beat his head against his desk most days.

“Uh, yeah. It’s been great.” He could hear how falsely cheery his voice was, and given the squeeze to his thigh, Dan could, too, but no one else seemed to catch on.

Someone else started talking, and Phil was relieved to be spared, at least for the moment.

“Is it opposite day, where ‘great’ means ‘horrible and miserable?’” Dan whispered into Phil’s ear, chuckling softly enough Phil could feel the air on his neck, making his own breath hitch.

Phil laughed lightly and pressed a kiss to Dan’s cheek, enjoying the blush that stained his cheeks when he pulled away.

“Thank you for coming with me.” 

Dan squeezed his thigh, up a little higher this time, making a flash of heat move through him. 

As Phil was about to open his mouth to suggest leaving, Melody interrupted them and inquired if they wanted another drink. Phil looked down at his half empty glass and up to Dan, raising his eyebrows in question.

“I actually think that we’ll probably head out,” Dan said, giving his most charming smile.

Everyone protested lightly, saying how great of a time they were having, but Dan tampered them down, insisting they had other plans. Phil wasn’t too sure what plans Dan was referring to, but he knew for a fact he was ready to leave. They said their goodbyes and paid for their drinks, despite Brian’s protests that he would pay, and exited the building hand in hand.

The cool late summer weather hit Phil square in the face, relief from getting away from the bar making his shoulders sag.

“Are we going to my dorm? Harper is home tonight with the flu.”

Phil shook his head, already pulling Dan towards the subway entrance. “Let’s go to mine.” 

His dorm was a single, no roommates to barge in and interrupt them. He could have Dan all to himself for the whole weekend if Dan agreed.

It was thankfully a short ride to the dorms, not long enough to be torturous, but enough to make him antsy to get there. Dan kept sending him suggestive texts and smirking whenever Phil would read one and start to blush, making him break out in giggles each time. By the time they had reached their stop, Phil was feeling a bit desperate, more than ready to get his hands on Dan and kiss the hell out of him like he had been itching to since they had departed from the impromptu afternoon they had managed to squeeze in on Monday.

Once they were tucked safely into Phil’s room, the door shut and locked immediately after they walked in, Dan had him pressed against the nearest wall. He kissed him deeply, tongue quickly seeking entrance to Phil’s mouth, which he granted right away, gripping tightly to Dan’s hips. 

“God, I missed you so much. How does four days feel like a month?” Dan asked, punctuating each word with a kiss to Phil’s face, making him giggle at the ticklish feeling.

“I don’t know, but it’s terrible. Lets just stay in here forever.”

Dan nodded, causing his kisses to land on Phil’s nose instead, making them both laugh and helping to break the thick tension between them. 

‘C’mon,” Phil said, tugging Dan further into the room. 

Dan looked around for a second before letting out a puff of air. Phil gave him a questioning look and Dan just shrugged his shoulders.

“I just don’t know if I’ll ever get over you being such a richy.” He said it in a tone that Phil thinks is supposed to be joking, but Phil can still hear the slight hitch in it.

“You know that doesn’t matter, right? I’m not rich, my parents are. I don’t care about all that shit.”

Dan nodded, gazing into Phil’s eyes intently. “I know. You’re right. I just need to get over it.”

Phil pulled him into his chest a bit roughly, making Dan grunt upon impact.

“There’s just me and you. I don’t care about anything else.”

He could feel Dan’s answering smile against his neck rather than see it.

“Wanna play Mario Kart? Or Zelda? I think I might even have Skyrim if you wanna play by yourself?” Phil said softly into Dan’s hair.

Dan stepped back and shook his head. 

“Nah. Let’s just watch a movie, I wanna cuddle.”

Phil had no complaints about that and moved to turn a film on that he knew they didn’t have to pay strict attention to, not sure if he would be able to resist kissing Dan for a whole two hours.

“American Pie?” Dan snorted, making himself comfy on Phil’s bed. 

“Well, I didn’t wanna put on something I haven’t seen and miss anything.”

“Presumptuous, aren’t you?” Dan said, laughing.

“Hopeful,” Phil corrected, joining him on the bed.

Dan snuggled into Phil’s side, curling up like a cat. He sighed low in his throat, sounding a bit like a purr, nuzzling further into Phil’s warmth.

“Comfy?” he asked.

“Mmm, yeah. You’re warm. Can I just stay here forever?”

“Of course.” 

Phil pressed a kiss to the top of Dan’s curly head, and he leaned up to kiss Phil back on the lips. He reciprocated immediately, deepening the kiss, and Dan hummed low in his throat, moving to lay down and pulling Phil on top of him. Phil huffed out a surprised breath, giggling at how eager Dan was.

“Something funny?” Dan asked, starting a trail of kisses up and down Phil’s neck and gripping tight to his shoulders, trying to bring him even closer, though Phil wasn’t sure that was possible.

“Just happy,” Phil replied, groaning as Dan started working on sucking a bruise on to his collarbone.

“Good.”

Dan stopped talking then, putting all his focus on darkening the line of hickeys he was creating. Phil couldn’t help himself and laid more of his weight on Dan, thrusting his hips into Dan’s thigh. 

“Fuck, sorry.” He groaned and tried to move away, but Dan held tight, moving his hips up to rub against Phil.

“No, it’s good. Don’t stop, please,” Dan whined, head thrown back.

Phil took this as an opportunity to add a little color to Dan’s neck and ground down as he licked at the exposed skin, causing a long whine to escape Dan’s mouth. They started moving against each other, both chasing that too-good feeling running through their veins.

After a while, Phil had no concept of time: Dan started whining ‘more’ into Phil’s ear. He wasn’t sure what more meant, so he snaked a hand between them and rubbed his palm along Dan’s clothed erection.

“Is this okay?” Phil asked, stomach plummeting when Dan shook his head. Before he had a chance to worry, though, Dan was moving them both to climb on top of him.

“I had something else in mind...?” His sentence trailed off at the end, turning it into a question.

“Okay,” Phil breathed, “what did you have in mind?”

He didn’t even care what the answer was, he just wanted Dan’s hands back on him, and his on Dan. Dan could have told him the weirdest, kinkiest thing in the world, and Phil would probably have given it a chance if it meant he got to keep Dan on top of him.

“Sex?” Dan asked, looking more nervous than Phil had ever seen him. He laughed, pulling Dan back down on top of him.

“Having sex with my hot boyfriend is hardly a hardship.”

“Well, I had to check you were okay with that. Also, do you have lube and condoms? I didn’t come prepared. Those aren’t really the right accessories for this outfit.” He gestured to the thin black jumper and deliciously tight jeans he was wearing.

Phil snorted, giving him a quick peck on the lips before moving Dan off him to get up and cross into his en suite bathroom. He returned to find Dan standing and stripping his shirt off. Phil paused where he was, enjoying the view. Dan’s body was long and still held a bit of color from their trip to the beach. He stopped once his shirt was completely off, tossing it to the side.

“Your turn,” he said.

Phil wasted no time. He threw the condom and lube on to the bed, hoping they wouldn’t fall behind it, and started to work the buttons of his stupid white dress shirt apart. Dan didn’t move from where he was stood a few feet away, just watched with hungry eyes as more and more of Phil’s pale chest was revealed. 

Once his shirt was off and was laid on his desktop chair (he didn’t have enough dress shirts for them to be thrown on the floor), Dan walked forward and pressed their bare chests together. He let his hands skim up Phil’s waist and across the ridges of Phil’s ribs. His fingers ran through the smattering of chest hair Phil kind of hated, and grazed across Phil’s nipples, making Phil gasp quietly.

“Sensitive?”

Phil nodded and Dan gave him a mischievous smile, doing it again, adding more pressure this time. Phil whined and thrusted forward, needing some friction to relieve the throbbing of his erection. Dan pulled him towards the best and drug Phil on top of him. They started kissing and Phil let his hands roam, needing to explore all the dips and curves of Dan’s body that he hadn’t been able to see and touch yet. 

They hadn’t had time or privacy for more than a few rushed handjobs, and that one mind blowing blowjob in the shower at Harper’s. The threat of interruption made it hard to soak in each other properly. Dan had been a little hesitant about going to Phil’s dorm, still feeling a bit insecure at times. Phil was glad he had agreed tonight, though, not sure he could physically handle anymore blue balls.

“Can I take these off?” Phil asked, tugging at the skintight jeans Dan was wearing.

He nodded so hard, Phil was sure it probably hurt his neck. “Yes, please. God.”

Dan was already a mess and Phil hadn’t even properly touched him. It was an exhilarating feeling, knowing that he was just as much of a needy mess as Phil was. Dan had to help, shimmying his slender hips and shoving down while Phil tugged with all his might. They finally came off and Phil threw them behind him, not wanting Dan to ever put them back on again.

“Your turn,” Dan said, sitting up a little to start undoing Phil’s belt and zip. 

The relief of not having his aching dick press painfully against the zip made Phil groan. Dan pulled his jeans and pants down in one fell swoop, making his cock spring from its confines, and Dan looked up hungrily at it, stopping his work on Phil’s pants to get his hand around him. Phil’s knees practically buckled, letting out a hiss of pleasure.

Phil moved his hand away after a second, not ready to blow his load so quickly, and shoved his clothes down the rest of the way. He gripped at Dan’s pants and hesitated, waiting for Dan to give him a nod, which was accompanied by a shy smile. Phil pulled them off, watching as Dan’s cock became free, standing hard and flushed. It was the first time he had ever seen Dan properly naked, and he wanted to memorize how perfect he looked. His eyes roamed greedily over the skin that was laid out in front of him, and he bit his lip to keep from moaning out loud. 

He dropped to his knees in front of where Dan was laid on the edge of the bed and gripped Dan’s cock, licking a languid stripe from the base to the leaking tip. Dan whined, moving his hips up, chasing after the sensation. Phil gave a few more teasing licks and then took him into his mouth, working on swallowing him all. Dan was smaller than he was; a little shorter and not as thick, but Phil was literally drooling over it, making more of a mess than he intended.

Dan pushed him away after a few more bobs of his head, panting hard above him. “You gotta stop. I’m gonna come.”

Phil moved up off his knees, groaning at the way they popped when he stood. Dan giggled at him, helping to bring them both back to reality a bit.

“How do you want to do this?” Phil asked, picking up the lube where it laid next to Dan.

“I’m bottom, right?” Dan asked, a slight frown on his face.

“Do you _want_ to bottom?”

“Well, I usually do. Most guys I date don’t want to bottom” 

Phil shook his head genuinely a bit puzzled by this. “Dan, we can do whatever you’re comfortable with. I’m honestly fine with either. I just want you.”

This seemed to flip some sort of switch in Dan, his whole body seeming to relax.

“I wanna bottom this time. But maybe next time we can switch it up?”

Phil kissed him, long and luxuriously, letting all of his feeling soak in to it. “Of course.”

They didn’t waste any more time after that, Phil quickly lubing up his fingers and pressing one at a time into Dan. He was so tight, and it made Phil feel a bit dizzy. He took his time, his own pleasure on the back burner for now, just wanting to make sure Dan was comfortable and felt as cared for as possible.

Once Dan told him he was ready, Phil pulled on a condom and tried not to thrust into his own fist while he applied lube to himself. Dan adjusted himself so that his legs were hitched around Phil’s hips. Phil hovered over him and pressed in slowly, the feeling punching out all the air in his lungs.

“Fuck,” he groaned, tucking his head into the sharp edge of Dan’s collarbones. 

“Yea,” he replied breathlessly, pulling Phil in closer with his legs.

It was slow going to bottom out, but once he was sure Dan was okay, Phil couldn’t help himself, moving quickly right away. He felt like an arrow strung tight on a bow, ready to release at any given second. He tried to focus on other things rather than how incredible Dan felt around him, not ready for this to be over so quickly, but Dan was so tight and smelled so good, and he was making whiny noises that made Phil absolutely throb. He needed to save face, but he wasn’t sure it was entirely possible.

“I’m close. I’m sorry,” he grunted into Dan’s mouth, capturing it in kiss.

Dan broke away from the kiss, gasping. “I am, too. Touch me, please.”

Phil obliged, wrapping his long fingers around him and being rewarded with a drawn out moan. He wasn’t terribly gifted at multitasking, brain split between chasing his own pleasure and focusing on Dan. He persisted, though, tightening his fist around Dan and doing his best to match his thrusts.

It seemed to be working because a few tugs later, Dan was crying out, his cum coating Phil’s fist and shooting all the way up to Dan’s chest. Phil couldn’t help himself after that. He humped forward once, twice, three times, and then he was coming into the condom, harder than he probably ever had. He collapsed on to Dan, feeling the cooling cum hit his chest, but not even caring.

“I’m dead,” Phil said, knowing he needed to get up and discard the condom, but feeling boneless.

“Same.”

He waited a few more seconds and then sat up, pulling gently out of Dan.

“Ugh. I’m so gross now,” Dan chuckled.

“Shower?” 

Dan nodded and sat up slowly, probably feeling a bit sore. Phil started the shower and hopped in, Dan following quickly behind him.

This was already starting to feel familiar; Dan being in his space, in his shower, and in his bed. Contentment coursed through him, making a dopey grin come to his face.

“What are you so smiley about?”

Phil looked at Dan, really looked at him, soaking up all the tiny things he loved about him: his dark coffee-colored eyes, and the way his hair was still a curly mess even when it was wet. How when he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkled adorably and his dimples sunk into his cheeks. Phil felt such a strong swell of affection for him, he couldn’t stop what came next out of his mouth.

“I love you.”

It hung in the air between them for what felt like a frightening amount of time. Dan looked dumbstruck, starting back at Phil with his mouth slightly agape. 

Phil was about to apologize, apologize for it being too quick, for shocking Dan with it in the shower, anything except apologize for his feelings, when Dan practically tackled him, making them both slip a little but thankfully not fall. Dan’s mouth was on his as soon as their feet were steady. Phil sank into the kiss, relief radiating out of him in waves.

“I love you, too.” 

They were the best four words Phil had heard in his life, and he kissed Dan back enthusiastically, feeling like the puzzles pieces of his life that he had been struggling with for so long were starting to piece themselves together.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings for homophobic slurs

The sound of a text arriving woke Phil out of a very deep and restful sleep. He groped around his nightstand for his phone, hearing Dan groan next to him.

“Wha’ time is it?” he slurred, pressing his palms into his eyes to try and wipe away the sleep there.

“A little after ten,” Phil replied, opening up the message from his mother, hoping for the first time ever that she wouldn’t ask him to come help at the station.

 **Mum:** Hello dear. Your father and I would love to have you over for dinner tonight.

Phil groaned reading it. Dan moved next to him and hugged Phil’s body to his.

“Wha’s wrong?” 

“My mum wants me to come over for dinner tonight,” he replied. 

Dan didn’t say anything in response, just let out a noise of acknowledgement. 

“I don’t wanna.” 

Dan chuckled, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “It’s been a while since you’ve seen your mum, right?”

Phil mulled this over and shrugged gently, not wanting to knock into Dan. “I suppose that’s true.”

They both knew his mum wasn’t the reason he was unsure whether to go or not. It was his father he was avoiding, not looking forward to hearing him lecture him about how he wasn’t putting in enough effort into the internship, and how Phil was _surely_ embarrassing him in front of his colleagues.

He typed out a reply asking what time and then locked his phone, putting it back on the nightstand. He turned to face Dan and couldn’t help smiling, seeing how cute and ruffled with sleep he looked.

“I know I look like a goblin right now. You don’t have to laugh at me,” he pouted. 

Phil laughed and pressed a light kiss to his lips, not wanting to breathe his rank breath on Dan. 

“I think you’re pretty adorable all the time, but especially now.” He pinched a curl between his fingers and gave it a light tug.

“Shut up,” Dan said, a blush working its way up his neck.

“You gonna make me?”

Dan gave him a very promising look just when Phil’s phone started ringing, making them both groan. He picked it back up and answered, saying hello to his mum.

“Hello, darling. Dinner is tonight at five, but your dear old mum would sure appreciate some company this afternoon. Maybe even a little help in the kitchen…” Her sentence trailed off hopefully, and it made Phil chuckle a little. He really did love his mum.

“I guess I can do that.” 

She chuckled in reply, so he knew she understood that he was joking. 

“I’ll have the car pick you up at half two. You can meet me down at the station and we’ll go do some shopping!”

Phil didn’t want to tamper her enthusiasm, so he agreed and flopped back down once he had hung up.

“Don’t wanna!” he whined, snuggling into Dan’s open, waiting arms.

“It’ll be good to see your mum. I’m sure she misses you.”

“I know. I just wanted to spend all day with you.”

“I know,” Dan cooed at him. “But I’ll be waiting for you when you’re all done.”

“Are you going back home? Or do you wanna hang out here today?” he tacked on hopefully. He couldn’t deny that he loved the idea of Dan being in his bed all day.

“I can stay here, if that’s okay. Harper’s getting her gross germs all over the room anyway.”

“‘Course I want you here. That way I’ll have something to look forward to while I’m with my parents.”

“I don’t know if I’m much to look forward to, but I’ll be here,” he said.

Phil leaned up and kissed him, morning breath be damned. He pulled back after a second and gazed into Dan’s big, doe eyes. He felt something big, and wonderful, and a little scary pull in his chest every time he looked at him. 

“I love you, Dan.”

Dan flushed, and pressed his lips to Phil’s, though his smile made it hard to continue kissing.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that.”

“It’s good, though, right?” Phil asked, a lifetime of insecurities making it impossible for him to just take Dan’s ‘I love you, too’ completely at face value.

“Yes, you dingus. I love you, too. So much.”

Somehow those two extra words felt like a much bigger exclamation of feelings. It made Phil feel a little breathless with how happy he was in the moment.

“I better get up and shower,” Phil huffed after kissing Dan quickly.

“Mmm. Probably.”

Phil smiled at Dan, running his eyes over his long body.

“Wanna join me?”

Dan didn’t answer, just smiled big and untangled himself from the blankets, running towards the bathroom with Phil chasing after.

****

It was nearly six by the time Phil and his mum finally arrived at his parents’ home. Though he would have loved to lay around the room all day with Dan, playing video games, eating junk food, and maybe even something a little more exciting, he did actually have a nice time with his mum. They had gone shopping after saying hello to everyone at the station, and his mother had bought him new shirts and some nice new tennis shoes. She also got him new underwear and socks, but he was less excited about those.

They dropped their belongings in the foyer when they arrived and Phil followed his mother through to the kitchen, hopping up on the marble counter top and waiting for her to give him instructions.

He watched as she moved around the kitchen swiftly, familiar with all of its contents. Though they could afford it, his mum had refused to hire a chef, wanting to feel like she was actually taking care of her family, at least in some small way. Phil had always had so much respect for that. His father would hire anyone to do a job he could technically do himself, but his mother had always preferred to be more hands-on. Phil thought he took after her more.

“So, how have things been at the station?” he asked, wondering how the conversation hadn’t already been brought up. Too much talk of underwear, probably. 

“Oh, good, just really busy. Cameron is out again, so we’ve had to cover his edits.” She rolled her eyes as she said this, which was quite the feat, as she had already started to chop onions on the cutting board.

“Why haven’t you called me to come help?” Phil pouted.

He almost felt a little insulted. He loved getting to edit at the station, and knowing his mother needed help only increased his desire to pitch in.

“Well, your father said you’ve started your internship, so I didn’t want to steal any of your free time. I know you’re busy.” She sounded so sincere saying it, Phil couldn’t feel frustrated.

“I mean, I could make time,” he mumbled.

“Don’t worry dear, we’re making due. Just focus on your internship.”

She smiled at him and he could feel his stomach twist; he looked away before he could retort with something that he would regret saying. He well and truly hated the thought of having to continue the internship. He knew logically that it would look good on his resume and it was a good opportunity, but what was the point of it being a good opportunity when it was for a career that he was dreading working in? 

He hopped down and grabbed a box of lasagna noodles off the counter.

“How should I help?”

She gave him one of those motherly looks that told him that he wasn’t really getting away with anything by avoiding the subject, but she wouldn’t push him into talking about it.

“Once that large pot of water is boiling, put those noodles in.”

Phil nodded and made it his mission to watch the pot of water like his life depended on it, hoping all the conversation would be put on hold.

They worked in peaceful silence until dinner was nearly ready and his father arrived. He entered the kitchen and placed a kiss on his mother’s forehead, then worked on pouring glasses of wine for each of them. 

“So, you finally deemed us worthy of your presence?”

Phil diligently worked on combining the salad mix and dressing, ignoring the jab. He didn’t want to fight with his dad, not tonight. He didn’t think it was fair to be provoked, either. 

“He has been such a lovely help with dinner,” his mother said, doing her best to alleviate some of the tension in the room. 

Affection for her bloomed in Phil’s chest. He gave her a small smile and turned back to the salad he was tossing. 

“Denise says you’ve been doing well. Getting all of your work finished.” How his father could say something positive, but then make it sound so negative, was just beyond Phil. 

“Yeah,” Phil replied, not wanting to lie and say he was enjoying it.

“C’mon, love,” his mother nudged him with her elbow, “let’s take this to the table.”

She picked up the pan of lasagna and the basket of bread and headed towards the dining room. Phil grabbed the bowl of salad and followed, refusing to look his father in the eye.

Everyone sat down and passed the food around, no one saying anything yet. The room felt like there was a bomb sitting with them, ready to explode if anyone so much as breathed too loud. 

His father took a sip of his wine before glaring at him over the rim of the glass.

“Wayne said he saw you and some other kids from the internship at Hogan’s last night.”

The words sat heavy in the air. Phil knew this would be a fight, and he wasn’t sure he was prepared for it.

“Yeah. Brain, Carl’s son, invited me out.” He deliberately didn’t include a ‘we’ in the sentence, hoping that the conversation wouldn't go where he was dreading.

“He said that you were getting _very_ friendly with a young man.”

Phil really, really wanted to avoid his father’s eyes and this conversation, but he wouldn't do that. He was who he was, and his father’s disapproval wouldn’t change that.

“And?” 

Maybe it wasn’t the cleverest reply, but Phil wouldn’t let his father make him feel ashamed for liking boys, especially not Dan.

“It isn’t very professional to be flaunting that sort of stuff around when there could be partners watching.”

“I wasn’t _flaunting_ anything. We weren’t doing anything wrong.”

His father scoffed, making Phil’s blood boil a little.

“I know you’re young, Phil, but you should really know better.”

Phil clenched his fist and took a deep breath before answering.

“What exactly should I know better?”

His father gave him what Phil referred to in his head as the ‘ _don't’ be stupid, Phil_ ,’ look.

“You know very well what I’m referring to. You shouldn't be parading some boy around and hanging all over him in public. It’s embarrassing.” 

“Joe!” his mum scolded. Phil wasn’t sure what her exact thoughts and feelings were about this, but at least she wasn’t joining in.

“Well!” his father said loudly. “I can’t have him parading around town like some fag. It’s bad for business.”

Phil’s stomach dropped to his knees and he thought he might actually throw up. He had heard that word a lot growing up, and had spent plenty of time in therapy learning to accept himself, but hearing the words come from his father made him feel sick with rage.

“Fuck you!” Phil spat out, before he could think about it.

“What did you just say?”

It was silent in the room. Even the traffic outside seemed like it couldn’t penetrate the bubble of tension in the room.

Phil stood up so quickly that his chair flew backwards and made a loud crash, which made everyone flinch.

“I _said_ fuck you.”

He didn’t wait around for a response, just turned and rushed out the door. He stood in the street, unable to move, and tried not to scream. His fists were clenched and his nose hurt in that way that made him know that there were tears forming in his eyes, but he was determined not to let them fall. So he did the only thing he could think of that would make him feel better in that moment: he called Dan. 

Thankfully it only rang once or twice before Dan’s voice filled his ear. “Hello?”

“Hey.”

He absolutely _hated_ the way his voice nearly broke over that one word. 

“Hey, what’s going on? Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I just - I got in a fight with my parents.” Well, _parent_ , he mentally corrected.

“I’m still at your dorm. Come home.”

 _Home_. Somehow in the span of just a few weeks, Dan had become associated with that word, rather than the place where Phil slept most nights.

“Yes, please.” 

They hung up and Phil walked to the curb and flagged down a taxi, not wanting to use anything of his parents’ right then. Thankfully the trip went fairly quickly, and when they arrived, Phil was out of the car and up the stairs faster than he was even aware that he could move. Before he could try to unlock the door, Dan was opening it and pulling Phil into his arms.

Phil didn’t say a word, just wrapped his arms around Dan and tucked his head into his neck and tried not to cry. He knew Dan wouldn’t judge him if he did, but it felt like some sort of failing on his part if he did. All of the times his father had drilled it into him that he had to be a man, and that men didn’t cry, rang through his head, making him sniff, but keeping the tears firmly in his eyes.

Dan ran a hand up and down his back, trying his best to soothe him. 

“What happened?” he asked gently. 

Phil nuzzled deeper into the crease of Dan’s neck. 

“He called me a fag.”

He could hear Dan’s sharp intake of breath, and his arms instantly became tighter around Phil’s middle.

“God, Phil. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Phil said, the tears he had been trying so hard to keep in starting to stream down his nose and onto the t-shirt of Phil’s that Dan was wearing.

“No. It’s not. You’re such an amazing person and a great son. You don’t deserve to have someone you love and care about talk to you like that.”

There was something in Dan’s voice that evoked a powerful need to protect Dan from whoever it was that must have hurt him at some point, but the soft murmuring of Dan in his ear was enough to snap him back to reality.

“Are you gonna stay at the internship?” 

Phil shrugged, feeling Dan’s head move with his shoulder. “I haven’t really thought about it.”

“You don’t have to think about it right now. You can take all the time you need.”

Phil just nodded in response and let Dan lead him back to his bed, where they both curled up together. 

He cried, because he was angry at his father, and sad that his dad had said those things. Sad that someone who he always tried to impress and get approval from would probably never give it to him. It felt unfair, but as Dan held him close and whispered encouragement in his ear, Phil realized that maybe he didn’t need his father’s approval. He had Dan, and that was enough.

****

“I want to quit the internship,” Phil said softly into Dan’s chest.

A few hours had passed and he had gotten his bearings. If this was how things were going to be, and Phil highly doubted his father would change his mind about how he felt, then what was the point of Phil making himself miserable for a career he was going to hate anyway?

“Yeah? What do you think you want to do instead?”

“I think I want to major in editing. I’ve taken the prerequisites for it, so it wouldn’t really take much longer than I was already planning on.”

“But aren’t your parents paying for your college? Do you think they’re really gonna just let you change majors? Especially after all this?”

Phil sat up and adjusted so he could look Dan in the eyes.

“My school is already paid for. I had a fund set up for me when I was really young, so now all the tuition is paid for. And that account, and my inheritance, are all in my name, so it wouldn’t really matter.”

He shrugged and Dan looked at him in disbelief.

“Phil, that’s fucking incredible. Why didn’t you ever just change majors before? Why make yourself miserable?”

Phil looked down, shame filling him.

“‘Cause I wanted my dad to be proud of me.”

The words sit heavy in the air, and Dan pulled Phil back to his chest.

“Well, I’m proud of you.” He said it so fiercely and with so much conviction that it was hard for Phil not to smile.

“I love you,” Phil said, hoping that Dan would pick up on all the unsaid emotions there. The way he smiled made Phil think that he probably did.

He looked like he was going to say something else when they heard a knock on the door. Both heads whipped around and stared at it, but neither moved until the sound echoed through the room again.

Phil untangled himself from Dan and slowly approached the door. He hesitated before opening it, not entirely sure who would be standing there.

“Hello, love.”

It was his mum, holding the bags from their shopping trip.

Phil exhaled a little, still unsure how this would go, but knowing it was definitely going to be better than speaking to his father.

He moved out of the way and let her in. Dan had stood up and was standing by the bed, wringing his hands nervously.

“Hello, dear. You must be...?” His mum hesitated, reaching out her hand. She didn’t actually know Dan’s name, just that Phil had been with him at the bar. It wasn’t too hard to put two and two together.

“Uh, I’m Dan,” he said clasping her hand quickly.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Dan.”

Phil was relieved that her voice was genuine and kind, helping to ease some of the tension he was feeling. She held up the bags and Phil took them from her, setting them on the bed. He stood next to Dan and waited for her to speak. She took a deep breath before speaking, letting out a sigh.

“I’m sorry about your father. I won’t make excuses for him, and I know you’re upset, which you have every right to be.”

Phil didn’t say anything just yet. He wasn’t sure what the rest of her speech would hold.

“I want you to know that I don’t support how he feels, or the things that he said. I love you and I want you to be happy, no matter what that means.”

It was silent in the room for what felt like eternity. The words she was saying wasn’t exactly what he wanted, but it was something. 

“I don’t want to do the internship anymore.” The words were out of Phil before he could stop himself.

She nodded. “I expected that. You don’t have to do that anymore, I understand.”

He was on a roll now. No stopping the words out of his mouth.

“I want to quit school, too.” She shook her head at that and started to say something, but Phil continued. “I don’t mean quit school, really, I just want to major in something else.”

She scrutinized him for a moment before asking what he wanted to study.

“Editing.”

His answer made her smile, and he felt himself relax.

“You always did take after me more than your father.”

She sounded smug, and it made him smile a little. Things didn’t feel quite so tense anymore.

“Well, if you get all of your school things organized, you can come work at the station. You can do an internship there. Cameron needs to go.”

This made Phil laugh out loud, his mother joining in while Dan stood there, looking back and forth between them.

“Cameron is the guy I always fill in for at the station,” he said, cluing Dan in. 

“Oh,” Dan said, nodding along. 

“Dan, dear, I’m so happy to meet you. I hope you’re keeping Phil in line?”

They both blushed and Phil sputtered a little.

“Mum! I don’t need anyone keeping me in line.” He was whining a bit, but that was just what happened when he was around her.

“Don’t worry, I have been.”

Dan gave Phil a cheeky smile, and he suddenly wished that he could kiss him, but he didn’t want the situation to be any weirder than it already was. He took his hand instead, a compromise of sorts. 

“Oh, dear, you look so happy.”

She walked forward and cupped his cheek. It brought him back to when he was young and sad, and she would do everything in her power to comfort him and make him know he was loved.

“I am.”

He looked at Dan as he said it, not wanting Dan to think for a second that it wasn’t because of him.

“Okay, well, I will get out of your hair. Make sure you put those away-,” she pointed to the bag on his bed, “-and call me when you get school taken care of.”

She smiled, squeezing both his and Dan’s arms before leaving the room. 

“That could have gone a lot worse,” Dan said, making Phil laugh. 

“True.” Phil didn’t have more to say than that. His brain felt like it was at max capacity.

“Food?” Dan seemed to pick up that Phil was a little emotionally drained from the day, and he was eternally grateful for that.

Dan took them to a pizza stand in a corner of the city Phil had never ventured in, and made fun of him for complaining they only had cheese pizza.

“You’re not living the rich life anymore, Capita£ester. You gotta make compromises.” 

Phil scowled, but still bit into the greasy slice, and was surprised that it wasn’t even that bad. The cheese was so plasticy it probably didn’t even qualify as cheese.

“See good right?” Dan giggled, obviously enjoying winding Phil up.

“Your mum’s good,” Phil grumbled under his breath.

“Oi!” Dan yelled, catching the eye of other patrons but once they realized he was laughing, they turned back to their own slices.

“My mum is a lovely woman! When you guys meet I’m gonna tell her you were talking shit before you guys even met.”

 _When_. With one simple word, Phil felt like he had won the lottery. 

Sure, the plans for his future were a little uncertain and a bit scary, but as long as he and Dan were planning for a future together, Phil figured nothing could be too bad.

**Author's Note:**

> like/reblog on [tumblr](http://tobieallison.tumblr.com/post/183038667496/magic-in-the-hamptons-chapter-5) if you like :)


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